Slugterra (My Version)
by Canadude2029
Summary: Retelling the series. Eli Shane and his brother Harley, journey down to Slugterra to battle the evil forces of Dr. Blakk and his ghouls.
1. The World Beneath Our Feet Pt 1

**My first Slugterra fanfiction! I got the idea for this fanfiction from 2 of my favorite authors. So if anybody likes this, leave a review. Enjoy!**

Chapter 1: The World Beneath Our Feet Pt 1

In a cavern world, deep below Earth's surface, called Slugterra, where special slug creatures live, explosions were thrown at each other from left and right. A man summersaulted forward, aiming a blaster in all directions, with a slug on his shoulder.

This was Will Shane, a man who shows great passion for slugs. And the slug on his shoulder was his partner, Burpy, an Infurnus slug.

As Will loaded another barrel into his blaster, another man, who looked pale as a ghost, appeared on a cliff, aiming his own blaster at Will and fired a Thresher slug. When fired, the Thresher transformed and spun like a buzz saw towards Will.

Will sensed it coming and leaned backwards. The Thresher missed him and he fired a Hop Rock slug towards the cliff. The pale man jumped off the cliff just as the Hop Rock collided with the cliff. The pale man loaded and fired a Rammstone slug as he fell. But Will fired his own Rammstone for a head-to-head stalemate.

Both Rammstones were shown different when they transformed: Will's Rammstone had big bull like horns, while the pale man's Rammstone had tiny horns. Will's Rammstone upper-cutted the pale man's as they transformed back.

The pale man was very displeased. "You worthless slug!" The pale man yelled at his slug. The Rammstone got upset and hopped away.

This pale man is known as Dr. Thaddius Blakk, a man who shows very little emotion to slugs and Will's greatest rival.

"Not that I don't enjoy bringing you to justice time and again, Dr. Blakk, but aren't you tired of getting beat?" Will asked his greatest rival, retrieving his Rammstone. "Extremely. Which is why I lured you here." Blakk said with a scheming sneer. "Think you're going to finally beat me in a duel?" Will asked, unconvinced. Blakk just glared and said "I know I am." Burpy chittered angrily. "Settle down, Burpy. You'll get your chance." Will said to his slug partner.

Will looked to Blakk. "So, you gonna tell me what this is all about? Or do I have to guess?" Will asked. "I'll do one better, Will Shane." Blakk said, still glaring at Will. "I'll show you." He held up a red slug barrel, holding what looked like a Tormato slug, but had a more demonic appearance. "Is that a slug?" Will asked as Burpy looked on with anger at what Blakk was holding. "Blakk, what have you done to it?!" Will demanded to know. Blakk chuckled. "I fixed it. Made it better." He loaded the mutant slug into his blaster. "Good enough to finally beat you." He fired the slug.

The mutant slug transformed and created a black hole of sorts that started giving a strong pull at half the loose foliage. Will struggled against the hole's pull, while Blakk looked on in awe. "The power! I could never imagine!" Blakk said as he struggled against the hole's pull, grabbing a tree. "You have no idea what you're doing!" Will yelled, holding on to Burpy. "Corrupting slugs?! You could destroy all of Slugterra!"

Blakk gave all his strength to pull away from the black hole and started to run as Will was still struggling in the hole's pull. "Blakk! Stop this! You have to stop it!" Will yelled to him. "Blakk! BLAKK!" Blakk kept running, leaving Will to his fate. The hole's pull got stronger, pulling Will closer. Will, knowing he couldn't escape, held up Burpy. "Find my sons." He said, putting Burpy in a barrel. "Find Eli and Harley! Give them the letter!" He loaded Burpy's barrel into his blaster. "Go!" He fired Burpy as he got sucked in. Burpy transformed and flew away. Will got consumed and the black hole disappeared, leaving a big scorch mark on the ground.

Burpy looked on in shock from what happened, but continued up through a tunnel, heading through a pipe that lead to a sewer and flew out from a manhole and into the night sky. Burpy looked on, eyeing a certain house.

Burpy flew to the house window, leading to a room where 2 boys were sleeping. Burpy transformed back as the one boy woke up. This boy was Eli Shane, Will's first-born son. "Burpy! What are you doing here?" Eli asked in surprise. Burpy chittered. "It's Dad, isn't it?" Burpy lowered his head, as if saying Eli was right. Next to Eli's bed, another boy groaned waking up to the noise. This boy was Harley Shane, Eli's younger brother. Both Eli and Harley were the same age but born on different days on the same month. "Eli? What's going on?" He asked, until he noticed who was at the window. "Burpy?" Harley knew that Burpy showing up alone meant bad news. "Dad?"

Burpy hopped into their room and slid under a rug. Eli and Harley walked over and moved the rug with Burpy showing them a small compartment. Eli opened it, finding a container bearing the Shane mark. He opened it to find a letter left by Will.

Eli and Harley began to read the letter. _"Dear Eli & Harley, if you're both reading this, it means that I have fallen protecting Slugterra." _Will's voice said as they read, both looking upset at what it said. _"It's one of the many risks of being the Shane. A risk that you both will face yourselves, if you decide to follow in my footsteps. A long line of Shanes has made the trip down to Slugterra. If you both do choose to go, remember our deal." _The 2 brothers stood up. "Not until we're 15." Eli remembered. Harley nodded as the gave their soul brother handshake.

* * *

The Shane brothers reached 15 in no time. They finished packing and were saying goodbye to their mother, Eliza. She read the letter and wanted to see her boys off. "Your father would by proud at the decision you're both making." She said, letting a tear drop from her eye. "I know _I_ am." The 3 embraced in a tight, emotional hug. After they released, Burpy hopped into her hand. "Look after my sons, Burpy." Burpy nuzzled her cheek, saying goodbye, then hopped onto Eli's shoulder.

They walked away from the house as Will's voice continued reading. _"I have told you both all about my adventures in Slugterra and you'll both have plenty of your own." _Eli, Harley and Burpy dropped into the sewer. Burpy lit a fire on his head to light the way. _"Getting down there is gonna be the easy part. Getting back up, that'll be a lot harder for you boys. If you boys choose to go, it'll be a one-way trip until you both learn the secret of how to get back home."_

Eli and Harley followed directions written on the letter, finding a button with the Shane mark scratched on it. _"I know we've always talked about making your first journey underground together, but you boys will have to do this one on your own." _Harley pushed the button and a secret door opened, revealing a 2-seater carriage. _"I've told you boys so much about Slugterra, but it only scratches the surface of what you'll see." _

Eli and Harley sat in the seats as Eli looked down, seeing a tunnel that goes on and on underground. _"You boys will be traveling over 100 miles beneath the surface of the Earth, to a place only a handful of top-siders have ever seen." _Burpy hopped onto a blue button, strapping Eli and Harley to the seats and pulling the safety bar down. _"You both will be safe inside the carriage. Just hold on tight."_

Eli prepared the activation button, then looked to his brother and slug. "Ready guys?" he asked. "Always." Harley said with a smile. Burpy chirped, being ready. Eli took a deep breath and pushed the button. All 3 of them closed their eyes and readied themselves for the wild ride. Nothing happened. The 3 gave a confused look. Then suddenly, the seats dropped down the tunnel, with the brothers screaming into the darkness.

* * *

**(Intro):**

The Shane mark showed. The camera pulled back, to reveal Eli and Harley dropping from an Earth city down to Slugterrian ground. Burpy landed in front of them. They both walked up to Dr. Blakk, ready to duel. Eli fired Burpy from his blaster, while Blakk fired his Hop Jack ghoul. Both of them transformed. Burpy fired Flashfire from his mouth, bringing the ghoul down.

Eli then rode on his mecha beast with his brother and team, firing a Rammstone at Locke, knocking him down.

The camera then switched between members of the team. First Eli and Harley, to Trixie, to Kord and finally to Pronto. Then switched to Blakk and his soldiers were firing on the team, standing of a ledge, firing their own blasters.

Then the camera then switched to random scenes from the show ending with Burpy and his slug friends gathering at the title of the show.

* * *

Eli, Harley and Burpy continued their ride down The Drop. "This. Is. AWESOME!" Eli yelled. "TOTALLY!" Harley added. The seats traveled on a rail through the tunnel, 'til they reached the end of the tunnel. They dropped from the rail and fell until a parachute opened from the seats. "Ouch." The brothers said, feeling a bit of pain from the chute's whiplash.

They looked around as they slowly descended into Slugterra. "Wow! Slugterra! The world beneath our feet." Eli stared in awe. "We're finally here, bro." Harley nodded in agreement, also staring. Their seats landed and their straps were released. _"When you boys reach Slugterra, there'll be a Shane hideout within a few hundred yards of the drop." _Eli and Harley stood from the seats. "Ready to check out our new home, guys?" Eli asked. "Oh yeah." Harley answered as they made their way to the hideout, located on a big tree root with big mushrooms growing on the roof.

The boys opened the door to look inside their new home. "Kind of a mess." Eli stated with Harley nodded. Burpy chirped and pointed to a locker. _"Inside, you'll find all the gear you're both gonna need to keep the peace." _Eli pushed a button and opened the locker. "Time to ditch the surface clothes, Harley." Eli told his brother. "Right!" Harley replied. They both wore a matching outfit with the Shane mark on the left side of their chests.

They then headed to their home's garage (Or service bay as they called it). _"Your own mecha beast will be waiting for you in the service bay. Happy Birthday, sons."_ They opened the garage door, to stare in disappointment at a rusty-looking donkey mecha beast. "Thanks, Dad." Eli said disappointingly. "Yeah. Though we were expecting something cooler." Harley added, looking at the mecha. Burpy eyed and pointed at a tarp. The brothers pulled it back to reveal a wolf mecha. "Whoa, nice!" Eli said. Harley looked at the model's number. "LKE model, huh?" "How 'bout we call you Lucky?" Eli suggested to their new mecha.

They opened another locker, revealing a blaster and slug barrels. _"I usually keep a few extra blasters around, but you'll both have to find your own slugs. That's going to be your most important task, boys. The slugs are the key to everything down here. You're gonna learn that their much more than ammo." _

The brothers, however, were disappointed that there was only one blaster. "Go on, Eli. You take it." Harley encouraged his older brother. "You'll need it more than me. Well, at least until I get my own." Eli smiled. "Thanks, Harley." Eli took the blaster, took a good look at it and got a good feel for it. Burpy then jumped into one of the barrels and Eli picked it up, smiling at both Burpy and Harley.

Suddenly, there was a ruckus coming from the closet. Eli loaded Burpy into his blaster while Harley grabbed a wrench from the work bench. They creeped towards the door and Eli practically ripped it open, revealing a molenoid, a midget sized mole creature, trying to get a hold of his slugs. "Don't shoot! Don't shoot!" He pleaded at the mercy of the Shane brothers. "Who are you?" Eli asked. "Who am I? The question, sirs, is who are you?" The mole asked back, trying to be tough. "My brother asked you first and he's the one holding a blaster." Harley said, readying his wrench. Burpy growled. The molenoid stared at the 2, impressed. "I see you both are as clever as me, young men." He complimented. "Pronto, at your service. Tracker. Explorer. Molenoid of many talents." He gracefully exaggerated.

The brothers looked on at the mole. 'This is an actual molenoid?' Harley thought. 'Kinda short.' "Funny. Dad never mentioned you." Eli stated. "Dad?" Pronto thought for a second. "Your father is Will Shane!" He realized. Then he slightly gasped and eyed around, trying to think of a good bluff. "Of course, I have a perfectly good explanation for this, you see." Eli held up the blaster, Harley tapped the wrench repeatedly in his hand and Burpy ignited his head in the barrel. Pronto sighed in defeat. "Alright! I never actually _met_ Will Shane. But, if I had, there would be no doubt he would've begged me to be on his team!" He confessed. "As should you 2. What good are a couple of Shanes without a tracker to lead them on their adventures?" Eli and Harley looked to each other. "Yeah well, Dad didn't mention anything about needing a tracker either." Eli said, holding up the letter.

Pronto sighed in disappointment. "And so, the dream dies." He said sadly, but dramatically, getting on the donkey mech. "Perhaps we will meet again, if ever you pass through the Low Rock Caves. By way of the Northern Cavern or Scorch Sparks?" Eli and Harley realized: they didn't know their way around the caverns in Slugterra. "You know, a tracker might actually come in handy." Eli quickly said, changing his mind. "Yes! Yes!" Pronto yelled excitedly and jumped down from his mecha to shake their hands. "You have made a wise choice, young Shanes." "My name is Eli. And this is my brother, Harley" Eli said, freeing his hand while Harley did the same. "Hmm. Good names. Easy to pronounce. You, young Eli and young Harley, will not be disappointed." Pronto assured his new friends.

"Good, cause if me and my brother are gonna fight evil, our first order of business is to catch us some slugs" Eli said, taking a barrel from his strap. "Well as Shanes, you 2 must have an impressive arsenal of slugs." Pronto said under the impression. "Show them to me!" Burpy hopped from Eli's shoulder onto his backhand. "Yes, yes, you are very nice. But uh, where are the rest?" Pronto asked, brushing Burpy off. "There is no rest. Burpy's all we got." Harley told the mole. "Yeah, but he's awesome." Eli added. "You only have 1 slug?!" Pronto asked in surprise. "Gaah! You need to win some experienced slugs in a battle. And I know just the place."

Pronto rode on his mecha out of the garage. "It is a small, local tournament." Pronto explained. "The competition should be no problem for a Shane or 2." Pronto noticed the brothers weren't following. "What's the holdup? We have slugs to win!" Eli looked at his blaster. "Just one thing I need to do before we go. Been waiting my whole life to do this." Eli said, holding up his blaster. "Waiting to do what? Shoot a slug out of a blaster?" Pronto asked confused. "Yep. Ready Burpy?" Burpy hopped into the barrel and was loaded into the blaster. "Fire in the hole!" Harley yelled as Eli fired the blaster. Burpy transformed and performed Flamespire. "An Infurnus slug!" Pronto said shockingly impressed. "Whoa!" Harley said. "Way to go, Burpy!" Eli called to his slug. Burpy flew back to Eli, transforming back as the Flamespire disappeared. Pronto looked to Eli and Harley getting on Lucky. "Now, how do start one of these things?" Eli asked with no clue. Pronto looked at them thinking 'What is with these kids?'

Eli screamed with joy at how fast his mecha best goes. Harley held on to his brother tightly as the rode through the jungle, following Pronto. They passed by some slugs. "A flock of Flaringos!" Eli said recognizing the species. "Check it out Burpy." Burpy waved to the Flaringos. "Wait! You give your slugs names?" Pronto asked. "Don't you?" Eli asked back. Then a stinky gas cloud came from Pronto's belt. A Flatulorhinkus slug gassed, just to irritate him. "Stop that! Scurrilous beast!" Pronto said, upset. "I guess that's a name." Eli said to his brother and slug.

"You know, my skills in observation are highly refined." Pronto said. "It seems as if many common things are unfamiliar to you." Eli and Harley became wide-eyed. "We uh, grew up in a Shane's most secret hideout. It was really out of the way. Only the Shanes know about it." Eli lied. "Yeah. No other soul in Slugterra knows about it." Harley added. "Yes. Of course." Pronto said, believing their lie.

"_The Shanes have a lot of secrets, but none of them are as important as the one about where you come from. No one can know about The Surface, sons. There are too many dangers on both sides. These 2 worlds must be kept separate."_

Along the way, Eli and Harley noticed a bit of a scuffle. A big man was robbing a little man's slug cart. "What's going on, Pronto?" Eli asked. "Avert your eyes and keep moving." Pronto said, pretending not to care, but sneaking a peek. "That guy looks like he needs help." Harley noticed. "Without a Shane around to keep the peace, the caverns in Slugterra have gotten, how should we say, a bit rough around the edges." Pronto explained. "Well there's 2 Shanes around now." Eli said, heading over. "This is none of our concern. I am sure you'll agree that a wise hero must choose his battles." Pronto said, not noticing they were gone.

"This all you got?!" Said the man, looking in the cart. "Nothing but Floppers in here!" Eli readied his blaster, loaded with Burpy, behind the man, while Harley stood on top of the cart, holding his wrench. "You need to go!" he said to the cart owner. The cart owner ran off. "I've got the claim to this trail. Unless one of you is Will Shane, you better keep on moving." The man threatened. "That would be our dad." Eli started. "Yeah. We're picking up where he left off." Harley finished. The man just laughed. "Oh, is that a fact? Will Shane was someone to be afraid of. You 2 are just kids." The man said insultingly. "And we're 2 kids holding a blaster and a wrench." Eli said overconfidently. "You willing to try us, punk?" Harley asked with overconfidence too. The man rammed into both of them, knocking both of them down with their gear dropping out of their hands. "Guess that's a yes." Eli said, now afraid. The man loaded a Hop Rock into his own blaster and aimed it at the brothers.

Suddenly, an Arachnet slug was shot from somewhere and it fired a web at the man, knocking him down. "Thanks Pronto!" Eli said, picking up his blaster. "Who's Pronto? And you're welcome." Came a female voice. Eli turned his head and saw a beautiful girl riding a tiger mecha beast. She held a blaster in her hand, noting that she fired the Arachnet slug. "You know, this road is filled with guys like that. You 2 should be more careful." She warned them as she rode away. "Hey, wait! Who are you?" Harley called, just missing her. He noticed Eli dazed and blushing. "Hey! You good, bro?" He said, shaking him out of his trance. "What? Oh, yeah! Yeah, I'm good." Eli said still blushing.

"There you 2 are!" Pronto said, riding up and readying his own blaster. "Already dispensing the justice, I see." The man came to, seeing Eli and Pronto aiming their blasters at him. "Stay off this trail, punk." Harley warned. The man got up and pulled the web off. "Alright! I'll go. Your friend just caught me by surprise. But fair warning: it takes more than a blaster, a wrench and a molenoid to be a Shane, kids." He walked away, chuckling. Eli and Harley glared at what the man said.

The 3 were back on the road. "We thought being a Shane was supposed to mean something." Eli complained. "Yeah, that guy thought we were jokes." Harley added. "If respect is what you want, you must earn it on the field of battle, like Pronto the Brave." Pronto explained, also exaggerating about himself again. 'What respect? He barley noticed we were gone back there.' Harley thought as Eli kept thinking about what the guy said.

* * *

They arrived at the destination of the tournament, where dozens of slingers were training for their upcoming battles. "If you win this tournament, people will know that the Shanes have returned to fight for justice and protect the innocent." Pronto explained. "And if I don't win?" Eli asked in concern. "Chaos will continue to rule and you will be forever branded as a hopeless fool!" Pronto said, being too honest. 'Hopeless fool?!' The brothers thought. "Of course, this will never happen. You boys have this competition in the bag." Harley interjected. "I'm not entering." He said. Pronto stopped in his tracks. "WHAT?!" He asked in shock. "I'm choosing not to enter not just because I don't want to, but because I don't have a blaster." Harley explained. "Hmm. Fair enough." Pronto accepted.

The 3 made their way to the signup booth. Eli signed his name in. The booth director looked at the name. "Shane?" He asked in disbelief. "Hey, check this out! Kids think their Shanes!" The other competitors started laughing, getting the attention of the girl who saved the brothers earlier. "Alright! You got the last spot in the qualifier. Good luck. You're gonna need it." The host teased. "Qualifier?" Eli asked confused. "Just one little duel to get you into the tournament." Pronto explained. "Nothing to worry about." He assured the young Shanes. "Okay, cool. It'll be fun to finally get to duel someone." Eli said. "It sure will, bro." Harley said.

Pronto flinched at what he heard. "Wha? WHAT?! You never-" He covered his mouth, making sure no one was listening, then pulled Eli and Harley close to him. "You 2 have never been in a duel? But you 2 are Shanes!" He whispered. "It's kind of a long story. And I don't think we wanna share it with the other duelers, do we?" Eli asked, being strict. "No, of course not." Pronto agreed. "I need to find you a sparring partner right away! I'll be back." Pronto took off to find a sparring partner for Eli.

Eli and Harley were just about to look around some more 'til someone called to them. "Excuse me, you 2 are in my shot." It was the girl, and she was holding a video camera. "Oh, sorry." Eli said before he recognized her. "Hey it's you!" They walked over to her. "Hey, thanks again for, um, you know." She looked at Eli. "What? Saving your butts? It'll be our little secret." She said with a wink. Eli blushed. "Well, we owe you." He said. "We do." Harley agreed. "I'm Eli. This is my brother, Harley" Eli introduced. "Beatrice Sting. My friends call me Trixie." She shook Eli's hand while still filming.

"You 2 told that guy that you both were Shanes. Is that true?" Trixie asked. "Yep. I'm just here to win a few slugs before my brother and I go off and fight crime and stuff." Eli explained, trying to sound cool. Harley looked at Eli funny. 'Is my brother trying to flirt with this girl? Nice.' He thought. "So, what's with the camera?" Eli asked. "I'm filming my competition, looking for anything that might give me an edge in a duel." Trixie explained. "Cool." Eli said, impressed. Trixie blushed at his response.

Suddenly, there was an interruption. 2 other guys were sparring. The guy on the left fired a Tormato slug, trapping his sparring partner with its Slyphoon and sent him flying. The guy started to dance in victory. "Who's this guy?" Harley asked, unimpressed. "That's Jon Bull. The guy you'll have to beat if you're planning to win this thing." Trixie explained, focusing her camera on the guy, who was still dancing like an idiot. "Haven't found a weakness yet. Except for the fact that he's a total jerk." Harley scoffed in his direction. "Even I can tell that." Trixie looked to Eli. "Uh, shouldn't you be in there practicing?" She asked. "Yeah! Uh, my friend's just getting me someone easy to spar with." Eli said with a blush. "Unless, you're interested." "And give away all my tricks? Tempting, but no thanks. I'd rather film you and learn yours." Trixie said. "Besides, I think your friend already found someone."

Pronto came back with Eli's sparring partner: a cave troll. Burpy hid in his barrel, while Harley flinched and fell on his butt. "Eli and Harley Shane, meet Kord Zane." Pronto introduced Eli's opponent, who clutched his fists, ready to duel. "Well, what do you think?" Pronto asked his friend. "I think…this could be extremely painful." Eli responded, afraid of getting hurt.

Kord took a look at the brothers. "You told me I'd be dueling a Shane! These are just kids." He said to Pronto. "And you're a cave troll!" Eli said in excitement. "Let me guess: you don't wanna spar with me either." Kord said, upset. "Are you kidding? Me and Eli have always wanted to meet a cave troll." Harley corrected Kord. "Yeah. You'll never find anyone more loyal, honest and brave than a cave troll. That's what our dad always used to say." Eli added. Pronto felt insulted. "Hmpth. Well clearly, he spent little time around molenoids." He said. "Will Shane said that?!" Kord asked. "Aww! Come here you!" Kord grabbed the brothers and pulled them into a bear hug. "Wow! He hugs tighter than Mom!" Harley noted, losing his breath. "So, I take it this means we're gonna duel?" Eli asked, not breathing either.

Kord opened a slug canister, releasing Flopper slugs. "Take your pick." Kord offered. Eli looked at them. "Floppers huh? Great." He said. Pronto got shocked from what he heard. "What?! Not great! Floppers are useless." He said cruelly. "Every slug is useful." Eli said picking up 3 Floppers. Harley picked one up too, putting it on his shoulder.

Eli and Kord got into position. "So, what do you 2 know about dueling?" Kord asked, preparing his blaster. "What's to know?" Eli said, loading his Floppers into his extra slug barrels. "First you choose your slug and then you sling it. When it reaches 100 miles an hour, it transforms. Keep at it until your opponent gives up. My dad must've explained that to us like 100 times." Kord seemed impressed. "Yeah, but explaining's not dueling." Kord explained. "In this competition: you win, you get to pick a slug from your opponent. That means if you lose any match, even the qualifier-" "I could lose Burpy." Eli finished sadly. "Are you really willing to put it all on the line?" Kord asked in concern. "I really don't have a choice, do I?" "Nope. DUEL!"

Kord fired a Phosphoro slug. It transformed and scared Eli with its Arcalyte attack. Pronto facepalmed himself, while Trixie and Harley laughed a bit. "Not fair! Wasn't ready!" Eli complained as he got his second wind. "That's the point! You always gotta be-DUEL!" Kord fired a Tormato, which took Eli for a little spin with its Slyphoon. "Stand sideways! You're harder to hit that way." Trixie said, giving Eli advice. "You do realize you're helping the competition." Eli pointed out, fixing his hair. "Heh. That's cute. He thinks he's competition." Trixie said. "Did you just call my brother cute?" Harley asked, hearing her. Trixie blushed. "NO! I mean yes-I mean-" "DUEL!" Kord fired another slug.

Eli fired one of his Floppers at Kord, who dodged and fired a Bubbaleone. It knocked Eli into the air and he started bouncing on it. Kord started laughing at this. "Hey not bad, bro." The Bubbaleone popped back to its smaller form and made Eli land on his butt. Pronto lowered his head in disappointment. Eli fired another Flopper, while Kord fired a Jellyish slug. Both dodged the incoming slugs. "Don't target your opponent everytime. Try moves that mess things up around them." Kord said. "Ah. You mean like this?" Eli fired a Flopper at Kord's feet, creating a small cloud. "Now that's what I'm talking about!" Kord said, until he noticed Eli disappeared. Eli tapped Kord on his right shoulder, surprising him. "Alright, Eli!" Harley cheered. "Yes! Now that is the Eli Shane that I know." Pronto said, earning looks from Harley and Trixie. "Or uh, you know, just recently met." Trixie looked on, impressed with Eli's move. "Clever move." Kord said before movie aside. Eli noticed a Flatulorhinkus at his feet, setting off a stink bomb. "And so is my time to lay Flatulorhinkus." Harley plugged his nose "PU! That stunk! Literally!" His new Flopper chirped in agreement.

During break, Pronto was spotting Eli, who rested on a crate. "How is it that neither of you have ever been in a duel?" Trixie asked. "We made a promise to our dad, that we wouldn't take up slinging 'til we turned 15." Eli explained. "Let me guess: Happy Birthday?" "Yesterday for me. Eli a few days before, but we like to share." Harley said, putting and arm on Eli's shoulder. "I got a good feeling about you, boys." Kord said. "You 2 may not have lots of skill, but you've both got plenty of heart." "So, you think I'm ready?" Eli asked, getting up. "Definitely." "Maybe." "Totally." "Hmm, nope." Eli seemed unsure with all the answers he got. Kord put his arm around Eli's shoulder. "You're gonna do fine." The troll assured his new friend. "In fact, I almost feel sorry for whatever noob you're up against."

By then, another slinger, dressed in an electric suit, was practicing on the targets. He fired a Tazerling slug at a target, completely demolishing it. The 5 looked at him. "Uh, remember what I said about feeling sorry for the other guy? I totally take that back." Kord said in regret, knowing who this slinger was. "You're going up against Shockwire." Eli looked on in worry.

Shockwire pulled up his electric themed blaster, loaded another Tazerling and started to move around and swing his blaster around in his hand, like a ninja. The tournament host walked past the gang. "Still not too late to quit while you're alive 'Shane!" He teased. "He's gonna demolish you!" Kord said in worry. "Come on guys. He doesn't look that tough." Eli said as Shockwire fired more Tazerlings back-to-back. "What do you think, Burpy?" Eli asked his slug. Burpy just blew a raspberry. Trixie focused her camera on Shockwire. "All he uses are Tazerlings. And from what I can tell, he's sort of a one-trick pony." She said as Shockwire fired another Tazerling, destroying 4 targets at once with its Tazerbolt attack. "Some trick!" Kord said with fear. Eli slid in front of them. "I have a few tricks too, you know." He said. "You do?!" His friends asked. "Uh, sure he does." Harley backed up his brother. "You know some tricks, right?" Eli asked Burpy in a mutter. Burpy just widened his eyes. "Look, I'll be fine. I'm sure I-" Shockwire destroyed more targets. "Man, he is really tearing those targets to pieces!" Eli said, impressed. "You know, Tazerlings are tough little slugs, but sometimes they'll misfire if they get too overworked." Trixie said. "You don't say." Eli said as he thought of a plan.

Eli and Shockwire stepped forward to meet each other. "They tell me that you and your brother are Shanes." Shockwire said. "That's right." Eli answered. "And alls you got is a Flaringo and a bunch of Floppers?" Shockwire asked. Burpy got angry for being mistaken for Flaringo. "Yep." Eli said, smiling at his slugs. "You're either crazy, dumb or both." Shockwire stated, getting in Eli's face. "Um, are there any other choices?" Eli asked, not thinking of a better response. Shockwire just smiled.

Eli and Shockwire prepared to duel on a series of cliffs and land bridges overlooking a lake of lava. Eli looked to his brother and friends before looking back to Shockwire, ready to draw. "DUEL!" Cried the host. Eli drew first and fired a Flopper directly at Shockwire, but it didn't do anything. Eli smiled innocently and Shockwire fired his Tazerling. Eli jumped of his cliff so he wouldn't get shocked. Shockwire jumped after him, firing another Tazerling. Eli jumped to a lower bridge and loaded another Flopper. Burpy chittered, wanting his chance. "Not yet, Burpy. You'll get your chance." He assured his father's best slug. When Shockwire came to view, Eli fired the Flopper past his head as a distraction before Shockwire fired another Tazerling. Shockwire jumped down and fired another Tazerling. Eli rolled out the way and almost off the edge of the bridge. Shockwire re-barreled his tiring slug and reloaded it. "Do it." Eli muttered, knowing what was coming. Shockwire fired the slug and Eli dropped down to another bridge. Shockwire fired 2 more Tazerlings, while Eli fired another Flopper.

"Hey, why isn't he using his Infurnus?" Kord asked in confusion as they watched. "Eli you're never gonna win using Floppers!" "No wait, I think I know what he's doing." Trixie said.

Eli then jumped down to some pointy rocks in the lava river, dodging 2 more Tazerlings. When Shockwire thought he had him cornered, he loaded one more Tazerling and aimed at Eli. "You're in for a shock kid!" Shockwire said, feeling victorious. "Just a little longer." Eli muttered with Burpy loaded into his blaster. Before Shockwire could pull the trigger, the loaded Tazerling misfired and shocked Shockkwire's whole body.

"He was waiting for one of the Tazerlings to misfire." Trixie said, figuring out Eli's plan. "Alright bro! Now's your chance!" Harley called.

Burpy nodded. "Ok Burpy. Now!" Eli said, slinging Burpy into action. Burpy transformed and flew towards Shockwire, trapping him in a Flamespire. Shockwire was getting scared from the heat. "Call it off!" He yelled, surprising Trixie, Kord, Harley, Pronto and even the host. "Call it off! I quit! You win!" Burpy stopped his attack and dropped back to Eli. The crowd cheered as the host declared Eli the winner.

Eli climbed back up to the top bridge. "Burpy, we did it!" Eli said, until he was then pulled into a noogie by Kord, while Trixe, Harley and Pronto applauded around him. Even the host cheered. "I guess you really are a Shane, Eli. And if Harley says he's your brother, that's good enough for me." The host turned to Shockwire. "Shockwire! Get over here and pay up." "Yeah, yeah." Shockwire understood, annoyed that he lost to a kid. He walked over to Eli and held up his 3 Tazerlings. "Take your pick."

The 5 looked at his selection. "Ooh! He's got some good ones, Eli." Kord said in excitement. Eli was just about to walk over, but Kord stopped him for a second. "Hey, hey. Let's think about this." He suggested. "No, Kord. I've got a better idea." Kord looked confused. Harley walked next to Kord. "Don't worry, Kord. My brother knows what he's doing." He assured the troll.

Eli kneeled down to the Tazerlings. "Which one of you guys wants to come with me?" He asked the slugs. "I'm a Shane you know. So, after this competition is over, you've gotta be up for a life of adventure." Pronto turned shocked, once again. "What? You're asking the slugs? Nobody ever asks the slugs." Pronto stated. The middle Tazerling, inspired by Eli's request, jumped out of her barrel and hopped into Eli's hand. "Welcome to the team, little girl." Eli said, rubbing the slug's head with his thumb. "How do you like the name Joules?" Joules hopped, clapped and lit a little spark on her head, liking the name. Eli held up Burpy and his other Flopper. "These are Burpy and Noodle." Burpy and Noodle touched arms with Joules, getting shocked in the process.

Harley walked up to Eli, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Nice work, bro." He praised. "You got 3 slugs and I've got 2." Eli looked confused. Harley up his hand, revealing the Flopper he picked up from Kord and a Flaringo. "Meet Squirm and Matchstick." Eli smiled in surprised. "Where did you get a Flaringo?!" Pronto asked, also surprised. "I got him on the way over here." Harley explained.

_(Flashback)_

_The 2 mechas just passed the Flaringo flock, when one of them hopped on Lucky's tail. Harley looked back to see the little slug. Harley held his hand out and the Flaringo jumped into it. "Hey little guy. Wanna join us? My brother and I are Shanes, so we could use your help." The Flaringo nodded his head, accepting the invitation. Harley smiled. "I think I'll call you Matchstick."_

Kord and Trixie looked on. "You 2 are naturals." Kord complimented. "But Eli, now that you're in the competition-" "Don't think we're doing you any favors." Trixie finished. "We're all in this to win." 'Then you better get a move on." The host said, getting their attention. "Round 1 starts tonight at Scorch Sparks Cavern. And you'll be fighting them." He pointed to 4 slingers: Jon Bull and 3 others, ready for battle. The gang looked to each other nervous.

* * *

At a factory deep in some dark cavern, Dr. Blakk was approached by his henchman, Maurice. "Dr. Blakk. You need to see this." Maurice informed his boss, holding up a data pad. "It's footage from a slug slinging tournament way out in Herringbone Cavern." Blakk turned to Maurice. "Why would something like that be of any interest to me?" He asked with little interest. "Because these 2 say their names are Eli and Harley Shane." Maurice answered, showing Eli and Harley in the footage. "Think they're any relation?" Blakk looked at the footage. "Well if they are, we have ways of dealing with Shanes." He said with a smirk. "Quite a few of them, actually." He and Maurice looked on at hundreds of slug canisters. One tube containing a mutant slug.

_To be continued…_

**Well that's the first chapter. How do you like my OC, Harley Shane. I'll be putting together a bigger Shane Gang. I'll also be adding a few other OCs later on in future chapters. Some will be names for the slugs. Please leave a review if you like it so far.**

**Slug Arsenal:**

**Eli Shane: Burpy (Infurnus), Joules (Tazerling), Noodle (Flopper)**

**Harley Shane: Matchstick (Flaringo), Squirm (Flopper)**


	2. The World Beneath Our Feet Pt 2

**Here we go! Chapter 2!**

Chapter 2: The World Beneath Our Feet Pt 2

_Previously:_

_My name is Eli Shane. And yesterday, my brother and I took a drop down to Slugterra. That turned out to be the easy part. Down here, you need to sling slugs to survive. Some new friends got me into a tournament where I can get the slugs I need. Now, all I gotta do is win._

Eli and Harley were climbing up a cliff, below was a lake of molten lava. Pronto climbed behind them. Suddenly, the rock Eli grabbed broke off. "Eli!" Harley called as his brother fell. Eli grabbed Pronto's blaster and swung back to the cliff. Harley sighed in relief. "Thanks, Pronto." Eli said. Pronto smiled as they continued to climb. "Yes. This journey is not so easy." He stated. "Yeah. My brother almost _died_!" Harley reminded their mole tracker. "4 times! _4_!" "And he would have, if not for Pronto and his magnificent tracking skills." Pronto continued to exaggerate. Eli smiled and shook his head, amused. "But, behold: Round 1 of the tournament."

They reached the top and looked on at the sight of dozens of slug slingers training for the tournament. "Cool!" Eli said, looking on. Then Kord popped up. "Hey! What took you so long?" He asked. "Molten lava, razor sharp cliffs and molenoid with a constant need for pitstops." Eli said, blaming Pronto for being so long. "What? My bladders are very small." Pronto said. "Okay, now that I didn't need to hear." Harley said, shuddering.

"Why didn't you just take the road?" Trixie asked. "Wait. There was a road?!" Eli asked in shock, turning his head to the cavern entrance. "Baah! When you're with Pronto, you don't need roads." Pronto assured the brothers. "A good reason to bring me along with you 2, when soon you're both out fighting evil." "All that matters now is you made it." Kord said. "The only question is: who're you gonna duel first?"

Eli looked to all the other slingers. One of them spun his blaster behind his back and over his shoulder and kicked it back up to his belt. Another took aim left and right. 3 more, who looked like they were triplets, loaded their blasters and took aim. Lastly was Jon Bull. He fired a Thresher slug at a training dummy, shredding it's head off. The head rolled towards Eli, who started to get nervous. "Just try not to die. That would be bad." Kord told him. Now Eli got more nervous.

* * *

**(Intro)**

* * *

Eli, Harley and Pronto were walking past a lava lake. "Stay close. These lava lakes can be very unpredictable-" Pronto started to say, 'till a lava bubble spewed at them. Eli pulled Pronto out of the way before he got burned. "Ok. That was kinda scary. Also, kinda awesome." Eli stated. "Yeah. What'd they do? Pick the most dangerous cavern they could find?" Harley asked. "Oh, don't be silly. Each round of the tournament is hosted by a different cavern." Pronto explained. "They're probably saving the truly deadly ones for last."

They walked up to Kord. "Hey Kord, what's everybody standing around for?" Harley asked. "Yeah. Shouldn't we be getting ready or something?" Eli added. "That's the thing. They don't announce the match-ups or the type of contest until the last minute." Kord explained. "I have no idea if I need to be preparing for a sharp-shooting contest or a mecha-back duel. It could be anything." 'Wow! Kord is really worried.' Harley thought. "Leave it to me." Pronto stepped up. "I will use my expert skills in persuasion to find out early." Pronto had just left when announcements had just started.

"ATTENTION! The first round of the tournament will be one on one duels!" The host announced as Pronto returned. "Okay. It is one on one duels." Pronto whispered. "Yeah. We know. But thanks for the tip, Pronto." Eli said. "My pleasure. Anything to give you the edge my friend." Pronto said. Harley shook his head in amusement.

On separate edges of a lava lake, Eli prepared to face his opponent, a slinger named Jacques. "DUEL!" Jacques drew his blaster, firing an AquaBeek slug. The slug transformed and fired its Aquajet at Eli, sending Eli off the cliff. Burpy flew out of his barrel and into the lava. Eli grabbed a rock dangling on the wall and looked at the lava. "Burpy." He said, with he, Joules and Noodle looking worried. Burpy then popped up from the lava, ok. "Maybe you could have mentioned that hot lava won't hurt you." Eli said a wee bit annoyed.

Jacques walked to the cliff's edge. "Now I got ya! I saved the best for last." He said as he loaded a Thresher into his blaster. Burpy jumped into Eli's blaster and Eli fired him straight upwards, throwing Jacques backwards. Eli climbed back up, caught Burpy in another barrel and reloaded him into his blaster. "So did I." He said, aiming his blaster at Jacques, who held up his hands in surrender.

The host declared Eli the winner and urged him to pick a slug from Jacques. "Now, I know which one you're gonna take." Jacques said, holding the barrel with his Thresher slug. "It sure was sweet knowing you." The Thresher looked just as upset. "Your Thresher slug's great, but c'mon, I can't take him. I'd know how I'd feel if someone took Burpy from me." Eli said, being a good sport. Jacques and the Thresher were pleased to hear that. Eli then looked to another slug. "You're an Armashelt, aren't you?" He asked. Said slug smiled proudly. "I could use a cannonball when I'm out helping people and kicking evil's butt. Whaddaya say?" The Armashelt hopped into Eli's hand with interest. Burpy waved while Joules and Noodle smiled happily. "Think I'll call you…Banger. That ok with you?" He asked his new slug. Banger smiled.

Eli shook hands with Jacques as Harley ran up to him. "Nice win, bro!" He said, giving a hi-five. "So, not too bad for my first official match, huh Pronto?" Eli asked Pronto, just noticing he was gone. "Pronto?" The brothers looked to another match going on. Pronto was there eating a sandwich. "Hey, there you are!" Eli said walking up to the mole. "Ok! Yes! I am here! But, certainly was not to find a new job if you lost." Pronto said, trying to cover his intentions. Eli and Harley looked at him with smiles, seeing through his bluff as Banger made his appearance known to the molenoid. "But I can see from the look on your face that you are victorious. So, let us not have anymore of these accusations." Pronto went to sipping his drink.

Jon Bull was about to end his match. He fired 2 slugs while his opponent fired a Hop Rock. The Hop Rock collided with a Thresher while a Frostcrawler put the other slinger in a Deepfreeze attack. Bull then fired a Rammstone at him and bashed him into the wall, making Jon Bull the winner. As he walked into the crowd, he noticed the Shane brothers. Eli tried to congratulate him, but Harley held him back, remembering what Trixie said. Jon Bull bumped past them, making Pronto drop his food and fall to the ground. "Did Pronto mention how happy he is that you won?" He asked in a daze.

Trixie went up against a guy known as the King of Sling. King fired a Rammstone at Trixie, who side-flipped out of the way and fired a Thresher. King countered by firing a Hop Rock, which headbutted the Thresher and bashed into Trixie as she loaded another slug. "Now bow down before the majesty of the King of Sling!" The King shouted, thinking he won. But Trixie fired an Arachnet slug, which fired a web net at King's face. "That's for your yapping." Trixie said, firing a Tormato. The Tormato trapped King in a Slyphoon, making him dizzy. "That's for your flapping." Trixie then fired a Rammstone at his legs, knocking him down. "And that one wins me the duel." The host declared Trixie the winner.

Eli and Harley watched as Trixie won. "Cool." Eli said. The brothers heard Kord grunting. "Though not everyone was so lucky." Harley added, thinking Kord lost. "Totally." Kord said, suddenly putting on a victorious game face. "You should see the dude I just hammered!"

* * *

At Blakk's fortress, Dr. Blakk was about to do an experiment on a Hop Rock when Maurice walked in and called. "Dr. Blakk!" Blakk groaned. "Maurice, what have I told you about interrupting me while I work?" He asked, annoyed. "It's about that slug slinging tournament." Maurice said. "And I should care because…?" Blakk asked, not caring. "The Shane kids. The one named Eli is still in it. According to my guy, he might actually be good. Maybe the other kid too." Maurice explained. Blakk just stared off. "You don't think they'll be a problem, do you?" Blakk just laughed. "In 10 years perhaps." He answered. "But you still want me to keep an eye on them, right boss?" Maurice asked. "Leave." Blakk ordered seriously. "I'll take that as a yes." Maurice walked away as Blakk continued his experiment.

* * *

Meanwhile, Eli, Harley and their new friends were traveling towards the cavern hosting the next round of the tournament. "Come on, dudes! And dudette." Kord yelled as they rode their mecha beasts. "Floor it! We're only halfway to Rocklock Cavern and the next round is starting in less than an hour!" Eli looked to Kord. "Hey! We've been meaning to ask you: the cave trolls are like the best engineers, right?" He asked. "Well, I don't wanna brag." Kord blushed. "So, why did you become a slug slinger?" Harley asked. "My clan wanted me to go into the family business. A lot of the passageways we use today were built by my people." Kord explained. "But, turns out that slinging slugs is a whole lot more fun than busting rocks." "Yes, yes, yes." Pronto interrupted. "I of course come from a long, proud line of molenoid explorers." Eli turned to Trixie. "What about you, Trixie?" He curiously asked the girl he liked. "Not much to say." She explained. "I was tired of seeing bad people ride into my home cavern to cause trouble. Without a Shane around, somebody had to do something. I was the only one who wanted to fight back. That's why I partially make my videos, to show people what's been happening in Slugterra. Good and Bad."

"Tracking however, is the molenoid's greatest skills." Pronto said. "Speaking of that, where exactly are we, Pronto?" Harley asked. "Oh, just a little shortcut I know about." Pronto boasted. Trixie recognized some markings on some rocks. "Those are Shadow Clan markings! Is this one of their trails?!" She asked. "Yes. At one point it was. But they haven't been here in years." Pronto assured them. They skidded to a stop to see what was in front of them: The Shadow Clan. "Well guess what? I think they've made a comeback." Trixie deduced. "The Shadow Clan? We've always wanted to see one." Eli said. "Usually, if you get close enough to see one…" Trixie said. "It's the _last_ thing you'll see." Kord finished. "So, what do we do?" Harley asked as the Shadow Clan came closer. "RUN!" Pronto screamed. Trixie, Kord and Pronto ran back to the exit, while Eli and Harley ran towards them. "Eli, Harley, he meant run _away_!" Trixie yelled. "You guys go on! We'll try and distract them!" Eli said. The Shane brothers lead the Shadow Clan deeper into their trail, until the brothers were cut off. "This was a bad idea." Eli admitted.

Trixie, Pronto and Kord made it back outside. "Uh, do we go in and get them?" Kord asked in concern. Eli and Harley rode as fast as Lucky could go, back to the exit. The Shadow Clan started throwing Hop Rocks at them. "Light em up, Burpy." Eli said, firing Burpy at the Shadow Clan, creating a fire wall. As they got to the exit, the group continued to Rocklong Cavern. Trixie rode up to the brothers. "What were you 2 thinking?!" She asked. "We don't know what we were thinking. Our dad always talked about them like they were no big deal!" Eli said. "Yeah! He said he ran into them all the time when he was patrolling the caverns." Harley added. "Yeah, but your dad was Will Shane! You 2 are just crazy!" Trixie said. "I'll take that as a compliment." Eli said, blushing.

* * *

The 5 finally reached the cavern. "Rocklock Cavern. They better have something good for this round." Kord said intrigued. "This next round will feature 3 on 3 duels! Choose your partners!" The host announced. Eli turned to Trixie and Kord. "Whaddaya say?" Eli asked. Trixie and Kord looked concerned. "Aw come on! What's the worst that could happen?"

Eli got his answer. He got nailed by a triple Rammstone attack. Trixie and Kord fired back. "Don't just sit there! Get some cover!" Kord said, pulling Eli behind a rock. They were dueling the triplets from earlier. "Who are these guys anyway?" Eli asked. "These 3 are the Powers Triplets aka the Power Trips. They've been training together since they were born." Trixie explained as the Trips reloaded. "It's like they know what the other's gonna do before they even do it." The Trips fired 3 Hop Rocks at once, destroying the rock Eli's team was using for cover, sending them running. The Trips reloaded and gave chase.

Pronto and Harley watched from above. "Ah, enjoying the match I see." Pronto said to some spectators. "You know, he maybe Will Shane's son, but Pronto taught him everything he knows." 'Liar.' Harley thought looking at the fibbing molenoid. Eli loaded Joules and prepared to fire. The Trips 3 Flaringos and threw Eli off his aim, sending Joules into Pronto's drink. "Except for that." The Trips fired more Flaringos and Eli ducked out of the way. "Or that." Harley looked worried for his brother.

The Trips saw their chance. "Slug him again, brother." The middle Trip said. "Yes, sister." Said the right one. "Whoa! Wait!" Eli said as he rolled over. "One of those dudes is a girl?" The Trips fired 3 more Hop Rocks at Eli, who dove into the rock pillars with Kord and Trixie for cover. Eli came up with an idea. "We need to be working together like they do." He said. "Show me your slugs." Kord held out his Rammstone and Phosphoro. Trixie had an Arachnet and Frostcrawler. "Kord, you'll sling that Phosphoro, Trixie, we'll need your Arachnet, then we'll see what Banger can do." He planned, holding up his new Armashelt. Kord felt unsure. "It takes weeks to bond with a new slug, Eli. Sometimes months." He said. Trixie felt the same. "You can shoot it, sure. But to pull off a complicated move, there's no way a slug you just won will just do exactly what you want it to do." She said. "Hey, I maybe new at this, but I know when a new slug has bonded with you." Eli assured his friends. Banger nodded. The Trips were closing in. "Kord, you draw them out. Then we fire on my signal. Go!" Eli called. Kord ran from behind the rocks, catching the Trips attention. "Here goes nothing!" He said. "There, brothers." The Trips fired 3 more Hop Rocks at Kord, who ducked behind another rock.

Eli moved into position, seeing the Trips were right where he wanted them. "NOW!" He signaled. Kord fired his Phosphoro, blinding the Trips. Then, Trixie fired her Arachnet, trapping them in its web. Finally, Eli fired Banger at some rock spikes on the top, breaking them loose and dropping them around the Trips, trapping them. Pronto looked on. "Aha! You see? One of my signature moves." He exaggerated. Harley huffed with a smile. The host declared Eli's team the winners. "High five!" Eli said, holding his hand up. Kord just looked confused. "Hey, come on, you're leaving me hangin' here." Eli said, until he put his hand down. "Ok. Maybe later." Trixie walked past him. "Good. Cause we've got to get going to the next round." She said. Eli started to follow.

Back in Blakk's cavern, Blakk and Maurice were preparing to leave on Blakk's personal express train. "You had better be right about this, Maurice." He said as he placed a little cage on his desk and sat in his chair. "My time is voracious." Maurice called the train driver. "Western Caverns, driver. Dr. Blakk wants to watch the slug match." He ordered. "Let's see what these new Shanes have to say for themselves." Blakk said intrigued. The train began to move towards the Western Caverns.

Meanwhile, Eli had been winning tournament rounds back to back, winning new slugs for his team and earning a growing reputation. By then Eli made his way up to the finals. Trixie went up to Eli, who was looking over his new slugs, to congratulate him. "That's great Eli. Congrats!" She said. "Thanks." Eli said. Both Eli and Trixie were now blushing at each other. "I just heard." Kord said walking over, looking all banged up. "I'm sorry, bro." Eli seemed confused. "Um, no I won. I'm in the finals!" He said. "Yeah. Against Jon Bull." Kord revealed. "Look what he did to _me_. But bro, you don't have the skills and not to mention the body mass to take on his rammers. I'm sorry to say it but, that guy's gonna crush you." Eli looked at the screen in possible nervous determination to beat his final opponent.

Eli, Harley and their friends made their way to the final cavern, where the crowd was rooting for Eli. "Eli Shane is not signing any autographs." Pronto said, acting like he's Eli's agent. "Pronto however, has several poses available." Then a loud whistle noise erupted from the crowd. Blakk's train pulled up. "The Slugterran Express?" Kord asked in surprise. "And it's not just carrying _any_ passenger." Trixie said as Blakk stepped out. "Dr. Blakk! Why would he be here?" Kord asked curiously. Blakk looked to the crowd. "Which of you are Eli and Harley Shane?" He asked. Everyone looked to the brothers, who looked at Blakk confused while Burpy growled.

Blakk slowly walked past the crowd, towards Eli and Harley. Burpy growled. "It's ok, Burp." Eli said, trying to calm his slug. "Who is that guy?" Harley asked. "Dr. Thaddius Blakk. Your dad never mentioned him?" Kord asked. "People say he was the last one to see him alive." Trixie explained. "What your friends say is true." Blakk said. "Will Shane, was a true hero. I owe my life to him in fact." Eli and Harley raised their eyebrows. "Let's find a place to talk, shall we?" Eli looked to his friends. "My friends are coming with us." He said. "By all means." Blakk said, allowing Eli's terms before walking back to the train. "It's ok, guys. We're just gonna talk." Eli assured his friends before following Blakk. Harley looked at Blakk. 'I have a bad feeling about this guy.' He thought.

* * *

Blakk showed his guests the wonders of his express train. "A small perk of owning the main line of transportation, is that one gets to travel in a certain style." Blakk explained, noticing Pronto just sat down in his personal chair. "Oh! So soft like an ancient whisper." Pronto said, feeling comfortable, until Maurice yanked him out of the chair.

"So, Will Shane had 2 sons." Blakk said, taking a seat. "I'm not surprised. The Shanes and their secrets." "You were our dad's friend?" Harley asked, looking oddly at this man. Blakk just stared. "Friend. Not exactly. Your father and I had our differences." He explained. Maurice walked over, setting the small cage on Blakk's desk. "You 2 and I have a chance to start fresh. Perhaps someday, even work together." Eli and Harley looked on, not liking the look in Blakks eyes. "I'm told you both are a little short on slugs. Consider this one, a gift." He turned the cage to the group, revealing the same mutant Tormato slug he used against Will Shane.

The 5 flinched at the sight of such a creature. "What happened to that slug?!" Trixie asked in shock. "Why, I improved it, young lady." Blakk explained. "I'll admit, my first few attempts were unpredictable. But now: perfection." "That's not perfection!" Eli objected as the others glared. "You turned it into some kind of ghoul!" "Ghoul?" Blakk chuckled at the name. "I like that." Joules, Noodle and Banger growled from in their barrels. "You can't do that to slugs. They're the key to everything here." Eli said. "Yeah you could destroy Slugterra." Harley finished. Blakk looked at them. "I seem to have heard that once before." He said, remembering Will said those exact words before. "I suppose it was silly of me to think that a Shane would accept it. We're done." Eli, Harley and their friends began to walk away.

"Here in this little contest, you may think you 2 are the heroes, but out in the real world, Eli and Harley Shane, stay out of my way." Blakk said to the brothers, like a threat. Burpy chittered angrily, making Eli turn around. "We don't know who you are, but our slug seems to. And he doesn't like you. We don't either." Eli said. "Me and Harley are gonna be the new Shanes. Better get used to it." Eli exited the train. "Their just kids, boss. Shouldn't be any trouble." Maurice assured his boss. "But their also Shanes." Blakk explained. "And when the people have at least one Shane to get behind, that can be very bad for business."

* * *

Dr. Blakk walked up to Jon Bull, polishing his blaster. Blakk cleared his throat, getting Bull's attention. "Dr. Blakk! What do you want?" Bull asked, standing up. "To see you win today." Blakk said. "I'm dueling a kid." Bull assured him. "You're dueling a Shane." Blakk corrected him. "Never underestimate a Shane." Blakk handed Bull a red slug barrel containing the ghoul. Bull looked at it disgusted. "Well I don't need your ugly slugs." He tossed the ghoul back to Blakk and began to walk away. "You know who I am." Blakk said, stopping him. "You know what I'm capable of. You'll use it against the Shane boy." Blakk gave the ghoul back to Bull and walked away.

It was time for the final duel. Eli and Bull took their positions. Trixie, Kord, Harley and Pronto popped up to watch. "Must be nice being Daddy's boys and having everything handed to you and your brother." Bull insulted, loading his first slug. Eli loaded his first slug too. "Wouldn't know. Our dad's been gone for a long time. And no one handed me THIS!" He shot back, firing Noodle from his blaster, while Bull fired a Hop Rock. The Hop Rock whacked Noodle away with it's tail and headed right for Eli. Eli ducked out of the way, as his friends and brother watched. "Bro! Less talking! More remembering what I taught you!" Kord advised Eli. "And what was that again?" Eli asked, getting up. "DON'T TALK WHEN YOU SHOULD BE BLASTING!" Kord shrieked.

Bull fired another Hop Rock. Eli moved aside on the ground and fired Banger. Bull slipped aside and fired another Hop Rock. Eli back flipped from a rock, avoiding the slug, and fired his new Polero slug, named Bolo, at Bull's legs, wrapping around them, making him fall and firing another Hop Rock at the sky. The crowd cheered. Bull got up and fired a Rammstone. Eli side flipped out of the way and fired Joules when he landed. Joules fired her Tazerbolt at Bull, shocking him. Eli then fired his own Rammstone, whom he calls Rammer, at Bull, punching him into the rocks.

Bull was now getting extremely mad. "THAT'S IT!" He yelled. The crowd all started cheering for Eli. "Come on, Eli!" Trixie cheered. "Final blow, bro!" Harley cheered. Bull looked up to see Dr. Blakk who nodded at him. Bull looked down to the ghoul on his belt. Knowing what he had to do, he loaded the ghoul into his blaster. Eli looked to Burpy in his barrel. "Last shot, Burpy." He said. Burpy nodded as he was loaded into the blaster. "Make it count." Eli said, aiming his blaster. Bull prepared his ghoul for firing.

Harley saw from afar at what Bull was using. "The ghoul!" He gasped. Without thinking twice, he ran over to the host. "Hey, Harley! Where are you going?" Kord asked, noticing him leaving.

Eli fired Burpy and Bull fired the ghoul. As they both transformed, Burpy gasped at what was coming at him. When they collided with each other, the ghoul grabbed Burpy, spinning him around in a dark cyclone which sent both Burpy and Eli flying backwards. Everyone looked on in shock at what happened. Bull looked at the ghoul, amazed at the power, which made Blakk smile.

Bull was thought to have won. "DISQUALLIFIED!" The host suddenly called. Bull was shocked to hear this. "What?! How am I disqualified?!" Bull called as the host stepped down with Harley beside him. "This young Shane here informed me that all of that was because you used something called a ghoul slug." The host explained. Bull glared at Harley, who was helping Eli stand up. The ghoul hopped over to Bull. "Yeah! Okay! I admit it!" Bull yelled, picking up the ghoul. "I used one of these." Eli stepped forth. "That's the ghoul!" He pointed recognizing the ghoul. "Blakk gave it to you, didn't he?!"

The host glared at Bull. "Jon Bull, for using a tainted slug against your opponent, you are hereby banned from any further slug slinging tournaments!" He declared. Bull's other slugs hopped out of their barrels and hopped away. "Yeah, who cares? Get lost! I don't need you." Bull called after his former slugs. "And there's plenty more where this came from. I'm joining Dr. Blakk!" The ghoul smiled wickedly. Blakk was pleased to see the progress of his work and that Bull was joining him as he walked away. Trixie, Kord and Pronto looked on at what just happened.

* * *

"_If you both choose to follow in my footsteps, Eli and Harley, it'll be up to you 2 to protect Slugterra from all kinds of dangers. You 2 are Shanes. You both have good hearts. And whatever you both choose, I'm proud of you boys."_

Eli and Harley sat near a cliff as they finished reading their father's letter. Burpy hopped on Eli's shoulder. "Harley, you know as I do that we've waited our whole lives to sling slugs and be Shanes, right?" Eli asked, feeling down. Harley nodded. "Well, I'd just thought that we'd be doing it with our dad." "I know what you're saying Eli." Harley said as they got up. "Well, now we're gonna have to find a way to do it by ourselves." Eli finished. "Well, not completely by yourselves." Pronto's voice suddenly came from behind them. "You 2 will have Pronto to guide you on your journey." Kord then rode up. "And I'll make sure you get there, buds" He said. "I've got your backs." Eli and Harley smiled. "And I'll spread the word across Slugterra." Trixie said, coming up. "Everyone will learn that the Shanes have returned." Eli and Harley looked to each other, thinking. "It could be dangerous." Eli warned them. "We laugh at danger." Kord said, not changing his mind. "Most of the time, we're gonna be making it up as we go." Eli continued. "Ha! That's how I live each day." Pronto said, taking a drink. "I can believe that." Harley muttered in amusement. "We're gonna go after Dr. Blakk. Whatever those ghouls are, we have to stop him from making more." Eli finished. Harley smiled and Burpy nodded. "Thought you'd never ask." Trixie said with a wink.

The brothers looked proudly at their friend's bravery. "Alright! Then we'll be the new Shane Gang." Eli said. "Shane Gang, huh?" Harley noted on Eli's choice in group name. "I like it." "Good. Now, where do we start?" Eli asked "SOMEONE! HELP!" A voice called as an explosion gave off in the distance. The gang loaded their blasters. "Guess that answers that." Eli said, hopping on Lucky with Harley. "Let's ride!" The Shane Gang soon rode off to help.

_To be continued…_

**Second chapter is complete. The Shane Gang is formed and ready for battle. I felt that Jon Bull should've been disqualified for using a ghoul. I'm not gonna reveal who I'm putting on my Shane Gang yet, but let's just say: it's a surprise. The name, Rammer, for Eli's Rammstone was my idea. I know that Eli used an Arachnet and a Hop Rock against Bull, but I switched them with Banger and Noodle.**

**Slug Arsenal:**

**Eli Shane: Burpy (Infurnus), Joules (Tazerling), Noodle (Flopper), Banger (Armashelt), Bolo (Polero), Rammer (Rammstone)**

**Harley Shane: Matchstick (Flaringo), Squirm (Flopper)**

**Names for Trixie, Kord and Pronto's slugs will be revealed in the next chapter.**


	3. The Trade

**Chapter 3 is up! But I'll tell you, it's not my favorite. Even on the show, I didn't like it. But, had to happen eventually. I only own my OCs, not all of Slugterra. Enjoy!**

Chapter 3: The Trade

Deep in Dark Spores Cavern, a once respected slinger named CC, was dueling another slinger, using ghouls. Others were watching in fear. As the other guy recovered from an Amperling ghoul, CC stepped forth. "Who's next?" He called. He looked around for a challenger. Everyone continued hiding in fear. "Come on. You mean to tell me that not one of you is up for a 'friendly' duel?" CC loaded a special scope onto his blaster. "You're not afraid of these, are you? Their just slugs." He referred to the ghouls he was equipped with.

"Wrong!" Eli's voice called as he, Harley, Trixie, Pronto and Kord showed up. "Those aren't just slugs. Their ghouls." Eli continued. "Well, if it isn't the new Shanes, come to save the day." CC said, unimpressed. "I was wondering when you would show up." Eli walked closer. "Those ghouls aren't welcome here. And neither are you." He said, pulling up his blaster. Burpy chirped madly at CC. Pronto, Trixie and Kord readied their blasters. Harley pulled out a handmade slingshot and loaded Matchstick. "5 against 1. Not exactly a fair fight." CC pointed out. "Rules went out the window when you pledged allegiance to Blakk, CC." Trixie countered. "Then we'll just have to level the playing field." CC said, loading a Tempesto ghoul. "And then, I'll level the 5 of you!"

* * *

**(Intro)**

* * *

The Shane Gang and CC continued their little standoff. "Last chance, CC. Are you gonna go quietly or is this gonna get loud?" Eli said. "Really?" Trixie asked, regarding Eli's one-liner. Eli blushed and shrugged. "Give him a break, Trixie. He's still figuring out this hero thing" Kord teased. "Oh, leave Eli alone you guys. He's got this." Harley defended.

CC fired his Tempesto. The Shane Gang followed with their own slugs: Eli fired his new Hop Rock, Rocky. Kord fired his Rammstone, Bludgeon. Trixie fired her Frostcrawler, Blizzard. Pronto fired his Jellyish, Slimey. And Harley fired Matchstick. The Tempesto transformed and blasted the slugs with Revector, sending them back. CC smiled as Trixie, Pronto and Harley were caught in the blast. Eli was also caught, but Kord caught him, digging in his feet against the attack. Eli fired Joules at the Tempesto. Joules tried to push forward against the wind, but the ghoul gave more power and sent Joules back at Eli and Kord, shocking them both and sending them back as the ghoul transformed back.

Eli and Kord got up, dazed from the attack. "Ha! You're in over your heads!" CC called, taking off the scope. "Try not to lose them!" He fired a Thrasher ghoul. Eli moved aside and fired Rammer. CC placed a booster barrel on his blaster and fired a Grimmstone ghoul. The ghoul uppercutted Rammer first. CC fired another ghoul as Eli ducked behind the rocks. "Minor setback." Eli tried to keep cool. CC fired a Hop Jack ghoul, destroying half of their cover. "No big deal." Eli added. "Did you see the boosters he had for his gear?" Trixie asked. "And he's slinging ghouls. We've got no match for that!" The gang continued their assault on CC. "Yeah, bro. You're the only one of us whose ever faced one! And that didn't really go so well. Remember?!" Kord said, recalling Eli's duel with Jon Bull. "Hey! Need I remind you that _I_ got the guy who used that ghoul disqualified?!" Harley reminded Kord. "If you guys are trying to psyche me up for this fight…" Eli said, enduring CC's ghoul attacks. "…it's not really working. But, don't worry, I have an idea."

Eli looked over to CC, who removed his barrel booster and placed the scope back on. Eli and Kord fired 2 more slugs. CC dodged them and fired another ghoul. Eli took cover behind the rocks Trixie and Pronto were covered by. Eli took Stinky's barrel from Pronto. "May I?" Eli asked. "Oh, uh, by all means." Pronto allowed, confused. Eli loaded Stinky into his blaster "Eli, that's just a stinker. It'll be useless against a ghoul." Trixie tried to warn Eli. "Which is exactly why he'll never see this coming." Eli told her. Trixie smiled, knowing what Eli was planning.

Eli charged in, firing Stinky. CC countered by firing a Frostfang ghoul, which created an ice wall, bouncing Stinky back at Eli. Stinky transformed and hit Eli, wrapping him in a stinky cloud. Eli got on his knees, disgusted by the smell. "Oh! That is so foul!" He got out. CC aimed his blaster at Eli. "And dumb! You had to know I was gonna knock it right back at ya." CC said. "That was the idea." Eli said with a smirk.

Before CC knew it, Trixie, Kord, Harley and Pronto flanked him on all sides. "The way _I_ see it, you have 2 choices: take a cheap shot on me, in which case my brother and friends open fire, or you walk away. What's it gonna be?" Eli asked. CC smiled and put away his blaster, knowing he was beaten. "Clever move, kid." He admitted. He then whistled for his ghouls. "You know, you're gonna stink for weeks." He said, acknowledging the smell. "Oh, it was worth it." Eli admitted. "Speak for yourself!" Kord said, covering his nose. "Yeah, bro. It's gonna be hard to live with that stink." Harley added.

Trixie looked at CC. "You used to be a respected slug slinger. What happened to you?" She asked. "I saw an opportunity and I took it." CC said, whistling. A yellow horse mecha galloped up to him. "And I'm not the only one signing on with Dr. Blakk." He continued as he got on his mecha. "2 new Shanes maybe back, but you're not gonna make one bit a difference against Dr. Blakk and his ghouls. Oh, and uh, how's that Shane hideout working for ya?" He asked with a smirk. "Settling in?" Eli raised an eyebrow. "What are you getting at, CC?" He asked. "Oh, nothing." CC answered. "Except maybe while I was out here entertaining these fine citizens, a few of my associates did a little redecorating for you." The gang looked confused. "Consider it a housewarming present from the guy who gave me these." CC added, pointing to his ghouls.

It wasn't 'til after CC rode away did Eli realize. "The hideout!" The gang zipped to get back.

* * *

When they got back, the whole place was totally trashed. "This is _so_ not cool." Eli said as they looked around. Mirrors were broken, slug dishes were smashed and everything had been scorched. Pronto was happy though. "Good news! My collection of glass figurines has been spared." He said, until the glass mole fell apart. Pronto gasped in upsetting shock. "I vow vengeance! VENGEANCE!" He yelled. "Dr. Blakk did this to send us a message. He's gonna learn the Shane Gang doesn't rattle so easy." Eli said. "My thoughts exactly, Eli." Harley said. "So, what's the plan?" Trixie asked. "We're gonna send Blakk a little message of our own." Eli explained. "But first: we're gonna replace all the stuff we lost." That perked up Kord. "You know what that means!" Kord said excitedly. "We're going to-"

"-Barton & Spinks!" The Shane Gang entered the shop, getting a look at the merchandise. "Wow! I don't even know where to start!" Eli said in amazement. "I know!" Kord agreed. "They've got everything from furniture to blaster upgrades! You can even get custom parts for your mecha beasts!" Eli stepped out from behind Kord. "Kord, you're the gear expert. Think you can set us up with replacements for what got trashed?" Kord cracked his neck. "Definitely."

The gang purchased 3 boxes of stuff. "That ought to do it. Should replace all the stuff we lost." Kord assured. "Plus, a few upgrades. You know, to help us get our point across." Eli got concerned about something. "Just one question: do we have enough gold to pay for this?" The owner, Spinks, walked up to the counter. "No gold. Only slugs." Eli and Harley's eyes widen from what he just said. "You got some good ones here." He said, reaching for Joules. Eli grabbed his hand. "Nuh-uh! No way!" Eli rejected. "We're not buying groceries, Eli. You want something valuable, you have to trade something valuable in return." Kord explained. Eli looked at the stuff they were buying. "We don't really need all this stuff, do we?" He asked, tossing a big mole toy away. Pronto caught it and glared. "I'd rather keep the slugs." "And what about Blakk?" Trixie asked. "What about him?" Harley asked, getting upset. "Well, he's already got an advantage with his ghouls. We can't afford not to have the best gear." Trixie said as Pronto put the toy back in the box. "But what good is having the best gear if we have to trade one of our teammates?" Harley asked, now really upset. "Harley's right. These guys are my team!" Eli said, looking at his slugs. "I'm really starting to get to know them." Pronto popped. "You see?! That is why you never get friendly with the ammo!" He said, really annoyed with Eli's friendly attitude with the slugs. "HEY!" Harley yelled, pushing Pronto to a corner. "Slugs are more than ammo to me and Eli for your information-"

As Harley and Pronto continued to argue amongst themselves, Trixie put a hand on Eli's shoulder, trying to comfort him. "I know how much your slugs mean to you, Eli. But sometimes you just have to make a trade." She explained, moving her hand down to his. "We all do it." Kord nodded. "I'm not happy about this!" Eli said in defeat, taking Joules's barrel. Joules popped up to say goodbye. "You've been a great slug, Joules. But we really need the gear." Eli said sadly. Joules chittered, understanding the consequences.

Spinks pointed Eli over to a computer. Eli walked over to it and Joules hopped on to it. The computer scanned her and gave a ding. Spinks looked at the data. "Wow!" He said, looking impressed. He cleared his throat and looked back at Eli. "It'll do. I think we have a deal." He said, accepting the trade. Eli looked at Joules sadly. "Whoever you end up with, they'll take good care of you." He assured her. Joules understood. Eli gave her one last pet of the head before leaving with the others. "Maybe I'll see you again." He said, walking out. Spinks picked up Joules. "Not likely, kid." He said sinisterly. He dropped Joules into a barrel and she dropped into a tunnel. She was having fun, until she saw where she was going.

* * *

The Shane Gang, wielding a trailer loaded with the gear they bought, were passing through a scary looking cavern. "Nightmare Ridge." Pronto whispered. "We must use caution." Eli stopped, thinking about Joules, regretting his decision. "Everyone, I've been thinking." Eli said. "About the wonders of me, no doubt." Pronto wrongfully guessed. 'In you dreams, dirt for brains.' Harley thought. "We made a mistake." Eli announced. Pronto then got mad. "You doubt the navigational skills of the Great Pronto?!" He asked. "I'm talking about Joules." Eli corrected Pronto. "We should never have made that trade." "Although your skills are a minor exception." Harley teased Pronto, making him growl.

"I thought we went over this." Kord said, a little annoyed. "You wanna stop Blakk? Then you need the best gear. And to get the best gear, sometimes you've gotta give up a slug or 2." Eli made up his mind. "I don't care, Kord. We have to go back and get her." He said, turning Lucky around. "Ok, what is it with you 2 and the slugs?" "Something you 3 wouldn't understand." Harley said, jumping from the cart and onto Lucky, going with Eli. The 3 looked shocked at what Harley just said but decided to go with the brothers anyway.

Eli tried to return the gear for Joules, but Spinks said she was gone. "What do you mean 'gone'?" Eli asked. "We were here an hour ago." "What can I say, kid? It's been traded." Spinks said. "If you want a refund, I've got a pair of Floppers." He placed a cage with a couple of sick Floppers on the counter. "Pass. I want Joules back." Eli said, being serious. "Sorry kid. She's gone!" Spinks said again, closing up.

"Well, we tried." Pronto said, trying to leave. "Not so fast, Pronto!" Eli said. "That shopkeeper was hiding something. I'm gonna find out what!" Trixie looked intrigued. "A comspiracy?! Oh yes!" She said, pulling out her camera.

The camera was focused on Pronto, sneaking up to the back door. "Stand aside! This takes great skill and a delicate touch." Pronto said into the camera. Kord then pushed Pronto out of the way and kicked the door open. "Well, _I've_ could've done _that_!" Pronto said annoyed as the gang walked in. "Whoa!" Kord said. The room was full of slugs in cages. "There must be hundreds!" Trixie whispered, still filming. "What are they all doing down here?" As Eli looked for Joules, he noticed the scared look on the slugs.

Then they heard a garage door opening. Eli hid behind a crate to see what was happening. "Business has been slow. But, there's still a lot of first-rate slugs in here." Spinks was heard, talking to someone. "Powerful ones with lots of training." Eli saw Joules in the cage. Joules got a happy look, noticing Eli. Eli motioned her to keep quiet and she winked, understanding, then glared at who Spinks was dealing with. "Just how Dr. Blakk likes." The man didn't even look like a man. He looked like some kind of demon. "Load them up." The demon man ordered, walking out. Spinks nervously followed him out.

Trixie got everything on camera. "Dr. Blakk is behind this!" She whispered. "And I'll bet he's planning on turning those slugs into ghouls." Kord said. Eli turned his game face on. "Yeah? Well, he's not getting Joules or any of these slugs." He said. Joules chittered, happy to see Eli. "Shh! We're getting you out of here, Joules." Eli whispered. He was about to free Joules, when he got held at the barrel of a blaster. "That does not belong to you." The demon said, holding the blaster. "Says who?!" Eli asked. "Dr. Blakk." The demon answered. "Well I don't see him here right now and there are way more of us then there are of you!" Eli said as Kord, Trixie, Pronto and Harley took aim from all sides. "Hello, ugly." Harley muttered. The demon just smirked. "Who are you anyway?" Eli asked. "They call me El Diablos Nacho." The demon, now known as Nacho, answered. "Alright, Nacho, there are 2 ways this can go down-"

Nacho fired a Dark Urchin ghoul, interrupting Eli. The ghoul fired its quills at everybody, making them duck for cover. "Okay, 3!" Eli said, scared at what happened. Kord, Trixie and Harley rallied around to Eli. Eil, Trixie and Kord fired Rocky, Blizzard and Bludgeon straight towards Nacho. Nacho slammed down Blizzard, evaded Rocky and uppercutted Bludgeon, then he fired a Jollyfist ghoul, trapping the gang in a tar like substance. "I CAN'T FEEL MY LEGS!" Pronto yelled. "That's because you're grabbing _mine_!" Trixie scolded. Pronto felt around the mess 'til he found his legs. "Ah. That's better." He said in relief. "Oh! _This_ is _way_ worse than Stinky's gas!" Harley groaned. "Ok. So, you got us. What happens now?" Eli asked. Nacho picked up Joules cage at stared at her with a sneer. "It's ok Joules! We won't let them take you!" Eli assured his slug.

But they did take Joules. Nacho and several Blakk soldiers loaded all of the slugs into their transport. Nacho glared at Spinks for a moment 'til he walked back to the transport. Spinks glared back as the transport drove away, then looked at his back door.

Spinks sprayed the tar substance, freeing the Shane Gang. Eli was not happy. "How can you do business with Dr. Blakk?!" He asked angrily. "A lot of people do kid. He makes it hard to say no." Spinks explained. "Besides their just slugs." That got Harley so mad, he punched Spinks, cracking his goggles and giving him a nose bleed. "Don't ever say that again!" He muttered close enough for Spinks to hear as his nose dripped blood. Trixie, Kord and Pronto were surprised at Harley, who stepped back taking a deep breath. Eli patted his brother's shoulder. "You don't have any idea what he's doing with them, do you?" He asked. "And I don't think I want to." Spinks said, walking off, holding his nose. "We're gonna get Joules and the rest of those slugs too." Eli said, turning to his friends. "I'm not gonna let Blakk turn them into ghouls." Harley stood next to Eli. "Neither am I." He said. "You both realize that means going to Blakk's citadel." Trixie said, knowing the danger. "We said we wanted to send him a message. Now we can hand deliver it." Eli said. Trixie, Kord and Pronto nodded. Burpy and Rammer cheered from their barrels. Eli and Harley smiled to each other.

Outside Blakk's citadel, Eli and Harley went up to the main entrance while the other 3 crept around back. Eli pushed a button on a video lock and a man's face appeared on the screen. "Who're you 2?" The man asked. "Eli and Harley Shane. We're here to see Dr. Blakk." Eli explained. "Wait here." As the Shane brothers waited, Pronto was digging a tunnel into the citadel. "Ok, follow me." He whispered. Kord jumped into the hole, getting stuck for a second. "Easy for _you_ to say." He said as Trixie pushed him in before following herself.

The man led Eli and Harley to Blakk's throne room. "In there." He pointed. Eli and Harley walked inside, noticing Maurice standing beside a work table. "Where's Blakk?!" Eli asked. "Indisposed. What can _I_ do for you?" Maurice asked, hoping to keep Blakk's guest entertained. "For starters: I want my slug back!" Eli demanded. Maurice just shook his head, chuckled and smiled.

Meanwhile, Blakk was having a meeting with some rouge slug slingers. Among the crowd were Shockwire, the Power Trips and the slug cart robber. Jon Bull and CC were there too, but at Blakk's side. "What I'm asking of you is so little compared to what I'm offering. Your loyalty and service in exchange for _the_ most powerful weapon Slugterra has ever seen." Blakk announce to his public. Trixie, Kord and Pronto tunneled up to glance at the meeting. "I know you are men of action not words. So am I." He motioned his soldiers to bring the slug canisters loaded with different ghouls. Trixie, Kord and Pronto ducked back into the tunnel so they wouldn't get caught. "So, I'll put it simply: Take the power I've offered and join me." The slingers walked forth with big grins and started taking the ghoul barrels, making Blakk smile.

Pronto dug the tunnel straight up into a slug storage room. Trixie climbed out and ran in to find Joules. "Ok, dudes. Let's spring these slugs and mission accomplished ourselves outa here." Kord said. "Uh problem: Joules isn't here. We're too late!" Trixie said worried.

While waiting for Blakk, Eli and Harley were looking around the throne room. "So, did you always want to be a henchman? Or was it something you just kinda fell into?" Eli asked. Maurice just looked at Eli with a small sneer. "Okay." Harley walked over to Eli. "Judging on his look, I'm gonna say the second one." He whispered. "Any idea when Blakk's gonna show? I know we kinda surprised him by dropping in like this but-" Eli started saying. "On the contrary." Blakk's voice came. The brothers turned to see him standing in front of them. "I've been expecting you."

* * *

Back in the storage room, Trixie looked on at the caged slugs. "I don't know how I'm going to tell Eli about Joules." She said, worried about breaking Eli's heart. Kord took a peek outside and saw Nacho talking with some of Blakk's goons. "You!" Nacho said, noticing him. "Uh, hey bro." Kord said, trying to keep cool. Kord shut the door. "Smash! It! Down!" Nacho ordered. The goons started bashing the door, with Kord holding them back. "We gotta get outta here!" He said, losing strength. "Not without the slugs!" Trixie said, taking a cage. The goons kept bashing at the door 'til Nacho stepped forward. "No! Like this!" He said, holding up his blaster, loaded with a Hop Jack ghoul. The ghoul blasted the door down and Nacho glared as the slugs escaped into the tunnel. "Dr. Blakk's slugs! Get them!" He barked. The goons hopped down the tunnel one by one before Nacho followed. Trixie, Kord and Pronto popped up from behind the empty cages and took off further into the citadel.

Back in the throne room, Blakk had just entered. "Maurice. Leave us." He said. Maurice walked out, leaving Blakk to negotiate with the Shane brothers. "So, let's get down to business. You do know why I invited you 2 here, don't you?" "Invited?" Eli asked. "Guess the invitation got lost in the mail." Harley said, trying to make a joke. "But you did get the message I left in your little clubhouse. That is why you both are here now, isn't it?" Blakk predicted. "Hardly. Mostly I'm here to get my slug back." Eli corrected him. Harley nodded. And Eli's slugs growled. Blakk chuckled. "Really? Is _this_ what you're looking for?" He asked, holding up Joules in a ghoul barrel. "Joules!" Eli called, grabbing his blaster as Harley made a grab to his slingshot. "Think it over." Blakk warned. Joules gave the brothers a wink. They got her message and unhanded their gear. Blakk chuckled. "Good boys." He said. "Join me and you can have her. And in a far more powerful state than she is now." Joules gave off a powerful shock, making Blakk let go of the barrel with Joules hopping out.

Eli and Harley rolled to her. Eli loaded her into his blaster and fired her. Blakk fired an Amperling ghoul. As Joules and the ghoul collided, their electric power gave off a feedback, transforming them back. Blakk fired a Grimmstone, making Eli retaliate by firing Rammer. As they transformed, Rammer tried to punch the ghoul, but it slammed the poor slug down and attacked the Shane brothers with Castlerock. They rolled outta the way and into Blakk's line of fire. Blakk fired a Dark Urchin. "Eli look out!" Harley yelled as he fired his new Frostcrawler, Frostbite, from his slingshot. Frostbite froze the ghoul as it transformed, but it broke free and fired its quills at the brothers. The brothers took cover behind a column, evading the quills. Blakk fired a Hop Jack at the column and destroyed it with the brothers getting blown back by the explosion. "How's this guy so good?" Eli asked. "Probably years of practice." Harley guessed.

Blakk and Eli kept firing slugs and ghouls back and forth, until Blakk loaded and fired a Greneater ghoul at the column the brothers were covering from. The fuse on its tail slowly moved to its body and it exploded, destroying the column. Blakk walked towards the brothers, who were laughing nervously. "Did you honestly think that you 2 could just waltz into my home and actually beat me?" Blakk asked, readying his blaster. "Uh, yeah. Starting to wish I had some of those upgrades though." Eli muttered to Harley. "_I'm_ starting to wish I had an actual blaster." Blakk fired a Thrasher ghoul, spinning like a buzz saw towards Eli. Eli ducked backwards and fired Burpy, trapping Blakk in Flamespire. Eli then fired Rammer, who punched Blakk into the column as Flamespire died out. Blakk struggled up, wiping his jaw, grabbed his blaster and fired all 3 ghouls loaded at the same time.

The brothers dodged the first 2 but got trapped in the 3rd ghoul: a Bubbalash ghoul. Eli and Harley pounded on the ghoul from inside it. Blakk chuckled at the misfortune of the Shane brothers and walked towards them. Eli and Harley looked around for an exit, eyeing the window. The brothers rolled the ghoul towards the window, smashing through the glass, towards the ground. "Uh-oh." Eli said, seeing how high they were. The ghoul bounced off the ground 3 times, sending the brothers out on the 3rd bounce. Eli coughed as he hit the ground. "Please tell me we came out through the mouth." Harley said, not liking the fact that he was eaten by a ghoul. Blakk jumped after them and readied his blaster as Eli glared.

Meanwhile, Trixie, Kord and Pronto entered another room. Trixie looked out the window. "Look!" She pointed. Kord took a look. "Eli and Harley are dueling Blakk?!" He asked shockingly. "Without Pronto?!" Pronto asked, hearing what Kord said. Trixie and Kord looked back out the window.

Nacho, Bull, CC and the rest of Blakk's goons arrived to back Blakk up. Eli and Harley glared at them. "It didn't have to be like this. But then, sons do have a way of repeating their father's mistakes." Blakk said, taking aim at the brothers. Suddenly, Trixie, Kord and Pronto burst through their window. Trixie fired her Arachnet, Spider, creating a web trampoline, bouncing them next to the Shane brothers. Eli and his friends readied their blasters. Harley just stood by and glared. "Oh, good. We're all here." Blakk said, pleased at Eli's little gathering. "Your friends can witness the end of 2 more Shanes. They'll soon follow."

The Shane Gang and Blakks's forces readied themselves in their little standoff. Then they fired. Eli fired a borrowed Frostbite. Trixie fired Spider. Kord fired Sploder, his Hop Rock. And Pronto fired Stinky. Blakk, Nacho, Bull and 2 others fired a Terrarix and 4 Hop Jacks. Their collision created a big energy surge, ending with the ghouls reigning victorious. Eli glared as Blakk and his goons prepared to fire again. Burpy hopped on Eli's arm. "Burpy! Nothings even gotten close to him! But I know you've got more in you!" Eli said, believing in his best slug. "You put too much faith in your slugs." Blakk said. "That Infurnus can't help you." That made Burpy mad, igniting his head. "Wanna bet?" Eli snapped. "We've gotta get outta here, Burpy. Show em what you've got!" Eli loaded Burpy's barrel into his blaster and fired him as Blakk and his goons fired 3 more ghouls. Burpy transformed and formed a firewall. The ghouls got caught in the flames, while Blakk and his goons were blinded by the burning light. The gang looked on in amazement. "Wow. Firewall. That'll work." Eli said as the slugs hopped back to their slingers. "I think you've made your point little guy." Burpy nodded. "Now might be a good time to go." Eli suggested to his team. "No argument here." Trixie agreed. The gang took off.

Blakk and his goons looked on as the gang escaped. "Back around the other side!" Nacho ordered. "No." Blakk said. "Let them go. They got the message. Eli and Harley Shane won't be coming back here anytime soon." He assured his second in command. "Why not make them pay?" Nacho asked. "Oh, they will. They all will." Blakk assured as they walked back to the citadel. "But for now, they're much more useful as a reminder of what happens when even a Shane tries to challenge me."

* * *

Back at the hideout, the Shane Gang recuperated after the battle with Blakk. "Well, that wasn't a total disaster." Eli assured his team. "You guys were great. All of you. Blakk was wrong. There is nothing more important than our slugs. If we're gonna do this right, if we're gonna stop Blakk, we'll need more of them. Lots more." He said. "They'll need training too. Still a lot of moves our slugs can learn." Trixie added. "We'll need a bigger gang too. The 5 of us together are pretty tough, I'll admit. But with Blakk recruiting more rogue slingers to his side, like Jon Bull and CC, we'll need more teammates. Not just our slugs." Harley said. "And don't forget the gear. I know you don't think it's that important, Eli, but you just leave that part to me. I never let Blakk get the edge." Kord assured. "Thanks, Kord. It's a deal." Eli said. "And let us not forget how we must band together to achieve an even greater task." Pronto said. "Like what?" Eli asked. "Cleaning up Pronto's room of course!" Pronto revealed. "Who's with me?" Pronto started walking to his room but noticed nobody was following him. "Oh, come on! Somebody's got to be with me! This bed won't make itself!"

_To be continued…_

**Finally! Chapter 3 is complete! The Shane Gang are beginning their quest to stop Dr. Blakk and his ghouls! What surprises await our heroes? Wait and see. If you want, leave a review. Oh, and sorry about the part where Harley punches Spinks. Couldn't let what Spinks said about the slugs go unanswered you know.**

**Slug Arsenal:**

**Eli Shane: Burpy (Infurnus), Joules (Tazerling), Noodle (Flopper), Banger (Armashelt), Bolo (Polero), Rammer (Rammstone), Rocky (Hop Rock)**

**Harley Shane: Matchstick (Flaringo), Squirm (Flopper), Frostbite (Frostcrawler)**

**Trixie Sting: Bluster (Tormato), Blizzard (Frostcrawler), Spider (Arachnet)**

**Kord Zane: Bludgeon (Rammstone), Sploder (Hop Rock)**

**Pronto Geronimo: Stinky (Flatulorhinkus), Slimey (Jellyish)**


	4. The Slugout

**Chapter 4's up! Big advantage coming for the Shane Gang! Enjoy!**

Chapter 4: The Slugout

The Shane Gang were tiptoeing near a land bridge, but Kord made a big tiptoe that shook the ground. "Careful, Kord!" Eli whispered. "We're right on top of them." "Uh, right. Sorry." Kord said. They got to the end of the land bridge and looked around. "There's nothing but empty around here." Kord presumed. "Maybe we just need to take a closer look." Eli said, leaning over the edge. On a stone spike under the bridge was a bunch of- "Frostcrawler slugs." Trixie said, holding out her camera. "Remember Eli: they can be fierce." She focused the lens on the slugs. "Course they look a lot fiercer when they hit 100 miles an hour." She corrected herself with a blush. "Not to interrupt, but please let me know when it is a good time to point out that it was I, Pronto, who led us here." Pronto said. "Here we go." Harley muttered. "How 'bout after we catch one?" Kord asked, holding up a fishing pole. "I'll get the snares." Trixie offered, running to help. "I have the gloves." Pronto said, pulling out a pair of safety gloves. "How 'bout we just try talking to one of them?" Eli suggested. The others looked at him confused. "Trust him, you guys. It's a better way to get slugs than…whatever this is." Harley said.

Eli leaned back over. "Hey there." He called to the slugs. One of them peeked over. "I'm looking for some powerful slugs to join my team. Like you." The Frostcrawler slid up the bridge towards Eli, who held his hand out. The slug looked at the hand and smiled at Eli. Kord and Trixie looked on surprised. 'Wow, Eli is good.' Trixie thought with a smile. "HAHA! Pronto has him now!" Pronto said, pulling a little device. The slug looked at him confused. Before Pronto could activate it, Harley snatched it from him. "Give me that! Before you mess this up! AGAIN!" He scolded the molenoid. As Pronto slumped away, Harley, being curious, examined the device. "What does this thing do anyway?" He asked twisting it, accidently activating it. The device gave off a motion wave, effecting the slugs. Harley quickly turned it off. "Oh! So, that's what it does." He said in shock.

Then came a sound like something unsticking. The slugs peeled of the stone spike and fell into the ravine. "Uh oh!" Eli and Trixie said together. Harley glared at Pronto, who obviously knew what the device would do. "Uh, I'm sure they'll be fine." Pronto said. "All those slugs transforming at once could cause a chain reaction." Trixie said, focusing her camera on the Frostcrawlers as they transformed. The whole cavern turned to ice and ice pillars started to form at the bottom. "Guys, it's getting kinda frosty in here." Kord said, noting a big chill building up. The ice pillars started getting bigger, piercing through the bridge. "RUN FOR IT!" Eli yelled. The gang started to run as more ice pillars pierced the bridge.

* * *

**(Intro)**

* * *

The Shane Gang continued running as the ice pillars tore the bridge apart. "We're not going to make it!" Pronto said, fearing for his life. Eli looked ahead and saw their mecha beasts, ready to go. "Yes, we are!" Eli said, hopping on Lucky with Harley behind him. Trixie and Kord hopped on their mechas, Boomer and Wyatt, and followed the Shane brothers out. Pronto was having issues with his mecha, Fernando. "Move you stubborn, no good, rusted out-" Pronto started before his mech honked at him. Pronto quivered at the look he got. "Oh, I mean so very clean and much loved and respected-" Pronto said as Fernando rode off after the others. The gang rode fast as the ice pillars grew faster. Eli noticed pillars growing in front of their way out. "We only get one shot. Make it count, Burpy." He said to his slug. He loaded Burpy and fired, his blaster starting to spark. Burpy flew towards the pillars, transformed and blasted Flashfire at the pillars. "Burn, Burpy. Burn!" Burpy gave it a bit more heat and broke through. The Shane Gang escaped into the tunnel with Pronto cutting it close, with one pillar striking his bottom.

As the gang made it out, Eli took note of what they did. "That was awesome." He said. "Yeah. Chilly, but awesome." Harley added. "I beg to differ." Pronto said, rubbing his frozen bottom. "Oh, come on. That was amazing!" Trixie said, agreeing with Eli. "Just too bad about the slug though." Suddenly, a chitter came from Lucky's tail. Eli lifted it up to see the Frostcrawler. It hopped from the tail to Eli's hand. "Check it out. He came back. How about I call you Chiller?" Eli asked. Chiller smiled and chittered. "Well, I guess things always work out for the best." Eli said until his blaster sparked again. He lifted it up to see that it was busted. "Oh man. Your blaster." Harley said looking at it.

"Bro, I've been telling you, your slugs have gotten to powerful for a blaster like that." Kord said. "It was just a matter of time before 'imitates little explosion then person in pain before going into death." The others clapped in amusement. "Very realistic." Pronto said. "Thanks. Yeah. I'm here all week." Kord joked getting up. "How long will it take you to fix it?" Eli asked, giving Kord his blaster. "I'd say about…forever." Kord said. "Oh." Eli looked disappointed. "I'm pretty good about amping things up but this needs an expert." Kord explained. "Only one blaster smith I know of could fix that." "Red Hook!" Trixie said in realization. "That name sounds familiar." Eli said, knowing the name. "It should. All the best slingers used to use him. Including your dad." Trixie explained. "Yeah. I remember now, Eli. Dad told us about him." Harley said. "His skill is legendary, yes. As is his foul temper." Pronto said, falling off his mecha. "I'm not looking for a new best friend." Eli said amused. "I just want my blaster fixed. Lead the way, Pronto." "Follow me." Pronto said, trying to look good as they rode out of the iced cavern.

* * *

They soon reached Quiet Lawn Cavern. "Welcome to Quiet Lawn, home of Red Hook." Trixie said. Eli took a look around. The houses were covered in graffiti. "I thought you said this place was nice." He said. "Well, it used to be." Trixie corrected, looking around. The people hid themselves all around. "I guess the people here are kinda shy." Kord thought. "Pronto knows what to do." Pronto said, clearing his throat. "HELLO! YOO-HOO! THIS IS PRONTO!" He yelled until the people shushed him out loud. "Well, that was somewhat rude." Harley said. "Guess they like their quiet too." Trixie thought. "You'd be quiet too, if you lived under _them_." A local man hiding in a trash bin whispered, pointing up. The gang looked up to a cave roof covered in slugs. "Are those-" Harley started. "Grenuke slugs." Trixie finished. "Knock those things down and it's ka-BOOM time." Kord explained. "It must be stressful, living underneath those things." Eli thought. "We can live just fine with the slugs. It's the Hooligang that's causing all the trouble." The man explained. "Uh, Hooli-what?" Kord asked confused.

At that moment, 3 people rode in on jackal themed mechas. "Hooligang." The man ducked back into the bin. Eli and Harley took a look at the Hooligang. 2 of them fired Hop Rocks at the mailboxes. The brothers glared at the blonde boy in the middle, who they assumed was the leader, as he fired a Rammstone at the guy in the bin. "Come on guys." Eli said.

The girl was spray painting an H on a wall when Eli called out. "Hey!" The Hooligang turned to see the Shane Gang. "What are you looking at?" The leader asked very rudely. "Your artwork!" Eli answered. "Ooh. Is that a kitty? It's cute." Harley joked. The kid with the goggles was about to pull out his blaster but his leader stopped him. "You 2 might wanna work on your manners. Especially when your talking to the guys running this no-good town." He said. "We'll keep that in mind for when they show up." Eli joked, not backing down. "Do you really want to get into a fight with a broken blaster?" Kord asked, reminding Eli about his blaster.

The leader took a good look at the brothers. "I know you 2. You're the Shane kids!" He said. "I saw you guys at the tournament disqualifying Jon Bull. Well you 2 better get lost. We're the Hooligang! I'm Billy!" He introduced himself. "That's Shorty!" He pointed to the girl. "And this is Goggles!" He pointed at the other guy. "Official employees of Blakk Industries. Which means: you got a problem with us, then you're gonna have a big problem with Dr. Blakk." "Oh, you don't have to worry about that, punk." Harley said. "Yep. Cause we already got a problem with him." Eli finished. "Heh! Without your team, I'll bet you 2 alone are not so tough." Billy back talked. "Then you should have no problem beating _me_ in a little trick shot contest." Eli said glaring. "I'm challenging you." Billy thought this was a joke. "Ha! You got more guts then brains. I'm running a town for Blakk! I don't have time for games." He said, turning his back. "You win, you get my slugs." Eli betted. Billy turned his head, intrigued. "_All_ of them." Burpy's eyes widened. The others looked at each other. Billy smiled at the thought. "Your whole arsenal?" He asked looking at Eli's barrels, loaded with Joules, Rammer and Chiller. "You lose, you leave town." Eli said. "Yeah, whatever kid! You just lost all your slugs." Billy said walking off to prep up.

"Bro, what if he beats you?" Kord asked in concern. "You're really gonna risk Burpy and all your slugs?" "The possibility _did_ cross your mind when you challenged him, right?" Trixie asked. "Uh, yeah. But it's cool. I have a plan." Eli assured his friends. "Excellent! He has a plan. What is it?" Pronto asked, being curious. "Um, win." Eli said. Harley facepalmed himself.

Eli and Billy prepared themselves in the town square. Eli's team cheered for him. Billy prepped his blaster, scaring a civilian with a look. Eli prepped his blaster, which sparked and started to fall apart. The gang now looked worried. Billy smiled and turned to his gang. "Shorty! Give him your blaster!" He called. Shorty pulled out her blaster. "Nice knowing you, Shane." She said tossing her blaster to Eli. "Now you can't ask for a do over on account of a busted blaster." Billy ranted. "Thanks. Though half a blaster is more than I need to kick your butt, punk." Eli backtalked.

Billy growled and shoved Eli out of the way, firing a Rammstone at some mailboxes. The slug transformed and destroyed 3 of them. Shorty and Goggles chuckled at Billy's shot, while Eli's gang looked worried. "Beat that." Billy dared. "Not bad." Eli admitted, loading a slug into Shorty's blaster. "Let's see if I can do any better." He fired his slug, making Billy jump out of the way. This slug was a Lavalynx. Eli calls him Burner. He transformed and hit 5 mailboxes, making them leak molten lava. Trixie cheered. "YES! IN YOUR FACE! IN! YOUR! FACE!" Kord yelled, getting in Billy's face. "Yeah. Come here you little goof." He said, pulling Eli into a noogie. "1-0 Eli." Trixie called as Pronto gave a thumbs up. Billy glared as Burner hopped back to Eli. "Nice work, Burner." Eli said to his slug. "Trick shots! Best 2 out of 3!" Billy called, picking a barrel from his belt. The green slug in the barrel smiled, thinking Billy was gonna sling him. "No! Not you!" Billy said rudely. He put the slug back and picked another. "But none of your slugs are a match for my Flaringo." Billy said with confidence. "Let's see how Chiller flies." Eli said, picking Chiller from his belt. They loaded their slugs into their blasters. "First to hit the flagpole." Billy said pointing at a flagpole on a building. "GO!" They fired their slugs. As they transformed, the Flaringo attempted to speed up using its fire abilities but Chiller froze it in an ice block. Chiller hit the flagpole in result, freezing the roof. "2-0" Trixie called. "AGAIN!" Billy called getting mad.

They fired their slugs left and right. Rammer bashed an Arachnet, Burpy blasted a Hop Rock, and Eli's Bubbaleone, Suds, swallowed a Frostcrawler. "Those don't count!" Billy said, calling out that last shot. "This is it. Winner take all!" Eli was getting annoyed at Billy. "Dude, I won like 6 shots ago." He said. "This cavern is filled with those Grenuke slugs. Whoever knocks the most down wins." Billy said, not caring about the people. "NO!" The man yelled, getting shushed. "No!" He repeated in a whisper. "Those slugs aren't bothering anybody up there." Eli protested. "Who cares? Their just slugs." Billy mistakenly said, firing a Rammstone. Eli reloaded Rammer and fired him to deflect Billy's shot, then he slung his Jellyish, Goober, at Billy, covering him in slime. Shorty and Goggles looked in shock that their leader lost. Billy looked at himself, covered in slime. "You can show yourselves out." Eli said in victory, tossing Shorty back her blaster. "Whoa, that Shane kid is good. Don't you think, Shorty?" Goggles said, nudging Shorty. "I guess." She hesitantly replied.

Billy glared and took his last barrel. The green slug smiled. "You're all I have left?!" Billy asked in anger. He dumped the slug onto the ground. "You're useless! You don't explode! You don't freeze things! You don't do anything but take up space!" Eli turned to see what was happening. Billy raised his foot to step on the slug. Shorty and Goggles gasped at what Billy was doing. Eli glared and rammed Billy to the ground. "Careful there. You almost stepped on that slug." Eli joked. Billy glared and looked around, picking up a Hop Rock. "That's it! I've had it with you!" Billy said, fed up with Eli's heroics. He drew his blaster. "Let's duel." Eli knew he had no choice he held up his blaster, which sparked and fell apart. "I guess you won't be giving me back that loaner?" Eli asked in embarrassment. "This. Means. War!" Billy said, firing the Hop Rock at Eli.

Eli ducked out of the Hop Rock's path. Shorty and Goggles joined in the fight. The Shane Gang took cover as Trixie and Kord fired back. The people kept shushing them as the vibrations are disturbing the Grenukes. Eli tried to sling Rammer, but with his blaster busted, Rammer couldn't reach velocity. Billy smiled at this and fired another Hop Rock. Eli ducked behind a building. Eli looked at the hole the Hop Rock made as a man who was eating shushed him. Eli gave a nervous smile. "Man, none of my slugs are reaching velocity." He said, thinking of a plan. "Kord! I need a boost!" He called. "You got it, buddy!" Kord said, readying his blaster. Eli ran in and tossed Burpy. Kord fired Bludgeon to give Burpy a boost, flying over the Hooligang. Billy gave a smile at the slug missing him. But Burpy bounced back from a phone wire. Billy turned to see Burpy transforming and exploding on contact.

The Shane Gang looked on at the damage Burpy caused. Even Shorty and Goggles were impressed by their teamwork. Burpy emerged from the smoke, giving a loud burp. Eli looked up at the Grenukes. "Guess it takes a lot to knock those things down." He said as Burpy hopped back into his barrel. He then looked to the green slug. "If you're interested, I've got room for one more." He offered. The slug smiled and hopped over to Eli. "Actually, a lot more." He said, loading the slug in a barrel.

The people, plus the Shane Gang, applauded at Eli's victory but then, remembering the slugs above them, started shushing again. "Dr. Blakk is gonna hear about this! Every one of you just made a HUGE mistake!" Billy yelled as the Hooligang rode away. "They're probably coming back." Trixie predicted. "And they'll find us waiting." Eli said. "Now can we go to Red Hook's?" Kord asked. Eli looked at his damaged blaster, sparking again. Harley kept looking at the Hooligang as the retreated, thinking about Shorty and Goggles.

* * *

They arrived at Red Hook's house, just outside the town. "Mr. Red Hook?" Eli called as he knocked on the door. "Grrr. I told you kids a dozen times to get lost!" A very angry voice called from the other side of the door. "He seems nice." Kord said. "That is one foul temper." Harley noted. "Uh, we never met. I'm just looking to get a blaster fixed." Eli explained. The door opened slightly. An old man's bald head with a mustache and an eyepatch on his right eye popped out. This was Red Hook. "You're not with those Hooligang clowns?" Red Hook asked. "Nope. We're the ones who got rid of them. For now." Eli said, making himself and his team known to Red Hook as he opened the door. Pronto noticed a red hook on his left arm. "Ah. A red hook." Pronto guessed based on the name "Question: did you call yourself Red Hook before you got the hook or after? And was the hook red when you got it or-" Kord dropped his hand Pronto's head and gave a nervous smile, not wanting to upset Red Hook. "Please sir. I need your help." Eli begged. "Alright. Come in! But you're interrupting my lunch!" Red Hook said rudely. "Ah excellent. I'm famished." Pronto said with joy.

The 5 walked into his home, Kord got a good look at the entire place. "I didn't think they made tools like this anymore." He said looking at a hammer. "They don't!" Red Hook snapped, taking the hammer. Pronto sniffed his lunch and Red Hook snatched it away with a growl, making Pronto whimper. "Tell me what you want and get out of here!" Red Hook said. "I got the slugs. I just need a blaster to shoot 'em." Eli said, showing Red Hook all his slugs: Burpy, Joules, Suds, Banger, Bolo, Goober, Noodle, Burner, Chiller, Rocky, Rammer and the new slug. "That's all the slugs you got? You better run, kids." Red Hook advised, not impressed. "We're not running." Eli said. "Yeah. Someone needs to protect this town." Harley followed. Red Hook pulled up a magnifying glass. "Something familiar about you 2. You sure we haven't met?" He asked, getting the curious feeling of déjà vu. Eli just leaned his head back feeling uncomfortable. "Let me see your blaster." He demanded. "Can you fix it?" Eli asked as Pronto made another attempt on Red Hook's lunch. Red Hook snatched it back. "It's been real lucky for me." Eli said, showing his blaster. "Heh! Lucky it didn't kill ya! That thing was a piece of junk when it was new! I don't fix junk." Red Hook explained, earning a glare from Trixie. "Eh, eh-he-he-he. One moment please." Pronto interrupted. "This man obviously requires a delicate touch. But, do not fear. Pronto knows just what to say." He assured them. Eli and Trixie tried to protest. Red Hook looked down, as Pronto cleared his throat and opened his mouth to speak.

The whole place started to shake as crashing noises and Red Hook's angry voice was heard. Eli, Trixie, Kord and Harley ran out of the house. "I've never been so insulted in ALL MY LIFE!" Red Hook yelled, throwing Pronto out of the house. "AND DON'T COME BACK!" He slammed the door shut. Pronto turned to his teammates, who were giving him hard stares. "Perhaps he was a tougher partner then I expected." He said, trying to get out the mess, but Harley grabbed him and held him against his mecha. "You make this right or I will grind you into paste!" Harley threatened. Pronto nervously chuckled and fell on his butt as Harley released him.

* * *

On the Slugterran Express, Maurice dropped Billy, still covered in Jellyish slime, to Dr. Blakk's desk. "Maurice, who exactly is this?" Blakk asked. "New recruit. Name's Billy. We sent him down to Quiet Lawn Cavern to convince Red Hook to work for us." Maurice explained. "Did you now? And let me guess: this cave is fighting back?" Blakk asked, squeezing a Rammstone. "It's not them! It was the Shane kids. Came into town like they owned the place." Billy explained. That made Blakk raise an eyebrow. "And they did _that_ to you?" He asked, referring to Billy's slime coat. "Well, _Eli_ Shane at least. The other Shane kid just watched." Billy corrected. Blakk grinned. "You need my help." He said getting up. "That's what I was hoping you'd say. I-" Billy said until Blakk raised his hand. Thinking Blakk was gonna attack him, Billy braced himself like a coward. "It's Billy, am I right?" Blakk asked, actually taking a slug barrel from Billy's belt. "An example must be made of the Shane boys." He placed the barrel in a machine, trapping the Hop Rock that was in the barrel inside the machine. "I'm going to give you and your friends a little more fire power. Ghoul slugs. Ever seen one up close?" Blakk asked. "No sir." Billy answered. "Ah, but you've heard of them." Blakk noted. "Yessir." Billy said.

Blakk pushed a button on the machine and a dark cloud surrounded the slug. "Imagine all the power within a slug. Twisted to serve only you. Unpredictable." The ghouling process finished and Blakk took a ghoul barrel from the machine. "But they up for it in pure savage fury!" He explained. The freshly ghouled Hop Jack gave a savage squeal. Billy's eyes widened at what Blakk did. Blakk tossed the barrel to Billy. "Not even a Shane can stand up to my ghouls." He explained. Billy gave an evil grin at knowing the Shane brothers can't stand up against ghouls. Blakk then turned to the other Hop Rocks in Billy's arsenal. "Now. Which one of you pathetic lumps is next?!" He asked in rage. The Hop Rocks shook in fear.

Outside the room, Shorty and Goggles watched in fear as Blakk ghouled Billy's slugs. Shorty turned to Goggles. "This is getting out of hand! Now Blakk is supplying us with ghouls!" She said, not liking the situation. "We should not have agreed to this." Goggles said, now regretting their decision to join Dr. Blakk. Shorty gently took his hand in hers and gave him a smile, letting him know they were gonna be fine. Goggles smiled back and squeezed her hand back. Billy then came from the door, making them jolt their hands back. "Get your slugs ready for ghouling! It's time to show the Shane Gang some real power." Billy said mentally. Shorty and Goggles gulped in fear.

* * *

Meanwhile, the people of Quiet Lawn were cleaning up their town. Scrubbing off the graffiti, throwing out the waste and sweeping the road. Eli and Trixie set a mailbox back up. "Seems like the town's getting back to normal." Trixie said with a smile. "Well, as normal as you can get living under a pile of exploding slugs." Eli said looking up at the Grenukes. Trixie then had a thought on the Hooligang. "Eli, I'm actually getting a little worried." She admitted. Eli looked to her. "Worried about what?" He asked. "The Hooligang." Eli raised his eyebrow. "I'm worried that if they do come back, we may not be able to beat them again." Trixie explained. Eli walked up to her. "Trix, if they do come back, then we will beat them again." He assured her. "Know why? Cause you and me, along with Kord, Harley and Pronto, are a team." He gently took her hand and smiled. Trixie smiled back. They quickly pulled their hands back upon hearing Kord's mecha approaching.

Kord and Harley rode up on Wyatt. "Where's Pronto?" Eli asked. "At Red Hook's. Still groveling. Kinda sad and pathetic if you think about it." Harley said. "Yeah. But no time for that." Kord said. "The Hooligang are on their way!" The people got scared and ran back into their homes. "Come back! This is your town!" Trixie called, only to be shushed. "Why won't they fight?" She asked. "It's _Quiet_ Lawn Cavern, remember?" Eli reminded her. Trixie blushed at forgetting that. "But we're gonna help these people stand up for their town!" Eli said with confidence. "Not unless you get your blaster fixed." Kord reminded Eli. "And at the amount of time Pronto's been up there groveling, probably won't be anytime soon." Harley added. "Well, let's just hope Pronto_ did_ soften Red Hook up enough to help out." Eli hoped.

Up at Red Hook's house, Pronto was still groveling. "So, on behalf of my father and uh, his father's father, I am very, very, very, very, very sorry." He groveled. Red Hook was now really annoyed. "How many times do I have to tell you?! GET OUT OF MY HOUSE!" He yelled. Pronto sighed. "Then also I apologize. My apologies apologize." He said, with Eli and Harley coming in. "Groveling time is over, Pronto! The Hooligang's coming and we need you with us." Harley said. "Red Hook, are you gonna fix my blaster, or not?" Eli asked. "No." Red Hook said straight. "Fine! Then I'll face them without it! Come on guys!" Eli said. "Don't worry, Eli. I'll lend you my slingshot if you want." Harley offered. "Thanks, bro." Eli said.

Red Hook opened a drawer. "You 2 are Shanes, aren't you?" He asked, now recognizing them. "That's right. How'd you guess?" Eli asked curious. "Because you both are acting like Shanes." Red Hook said, handing Eli and Harley a picture of him and their dad. "I once saw Will Shane take out the entire McDougall Gang with only a Dustpuff slug and a slingshot. Never knew he had kids." Red Hook said. "Dad wanted us out of the spotlight." Harley explained. "And now you 2 have stepped right into the center of it! You 2 plan on going after Blakk?" Red Hook asked. "Harley and I plan on fighting the bad guys wherever we find them." Eli explained. "Well then you're gonna need these." Red Hook said, placing a container with the Shane mark in front of the brothers. Eli opened it, revealing 2 blasters of the same model, but with a different color Shane mark. One with a blue mark for Eli and the other with a teal mark for Harley. "Only made 3 of these. Your old man had the other one." Red Hook explained as the brothers examined their new blasters. "I don't know what to say." Eli said. "Me neither." Harley added. "Say you both will be the man your father was." Red Hook said. Eli and Harley nodded.

Pronto popped up. "You both are off to fight these Hooligangers. Pronto grants you the honor of assisting us in this historic battle." He said, with a bit of exaggeration. Red Hook groaned. "I can make 'em. Never was one to shoot 'em." He explained. "You've done enough. All we need is a fighting chance. Come on guys!" Eli said leaving, with Harley right behind him. "Thank you! Thank you again!" Pronto said before following the brothers. "Go get 'em, kids." Red Hook said, closing the container.

* * *

The Shane Gang and Hooligang prepared for battle on their mechas. "Is everyone ready?" Eli asked his teammates. "Always bro." Harley said. "Pronto was born ready." Pronto exaggerated a bit. "Let's get rid of these clowns once and for all." Kord said. "With these new blasters, it shouldn't be a problem." Eli said, feeling sure. "Uh, problem: they got ghouls!" Trixie said, focusing her camera on Billy's arsenal. Pronto and Kord flinched. "Guess Blakk supplied them." Harley guessed. Billy held up his blaster. "I'll make this quick and painful!" He called. "Go ahead and try!" Eli called back. The Hooligang charged and the Shane Gang followed. "BLAST THEM!" Billy barked. Shorty and Goggles did as he said. They fired 3 Hop Jack ghouls. They completely wrecked the streets and even blew up a stone mountain. Eli saw another Hop Jack coming at him. He fired Burpy and he blasted the ghoul down with Flashfire. Billy was shocked. "Now _this_ is nice." Eli said about his new blaster.

The Hooligang fired 3 more Hop Jacks, blasting the gang off their mechas. Billy charged in, firing another ghoul. Eli took cover. "Try to get them to burn off some slugs!" he called. Kord tried to bait them but got attacked from above by Shorty. Kord ran off as she hesitantly fired another ghoul. Pronto saw her coming and fired his blaster. Backwards. The blaster hit her mechas legs and she flew off and hit the ground hard. Goggles saw this and ran over to her. "Shorty! You ok?" He asked. Shorty groaned as she woke up. "Yeah, I'm ok." She said. Goggles hugged her tight, happy that she was alright. Suddenly, Eli and Harley walked up and readied their blasters. Goggles and Shorty saw them and lowered their heads in surrender. But the brothers lowered the blasters. Eli held out a hand to them. "Not too late to make a fresh start." He said. The 2 smiled. Goggles took Eli's hand, still holding Shorty, and stood up.

Eli turned back to Billy. Eli loaded Joules. "You're up Joules." He said. Billy fired another Hop Jack and Eli fired Joules. Joules gave the ghoul quite a shock with her Tazerbolt. But Eli noticed another ghoul coming at him. Suddenly, Spider came out of nowhere and used her web to bounce the ghoul back. Eli looked up to see Trixie. "Great shot, Trixie!" He called. "My thoughts exactly." Trixie said with a wink.

Billy, now really mad, kept charging, firing more ghouls. Eli and Trixie escaped through the smoke. Billy stopped in the middle. "Time to level the place!" He called firing more ghouls in all directions. The gang took cover in the debris. "We can't fight ghouls with what we got!" Trixie pointed out. Billy kept firing. "Down to my last 2 slugs!" Eli called. "I've only got Gazzers left!" Trixie said. "I'm out!" Kord added. "And I have no idea where mine went!" Pronto said embarrassed. Harley, Goggles and Shorty rallied with them. They were out too. Goggles had an idea. "Hey, Shane! You got to get the residents of this cave to help!" He called. "We tried. But these people said no." Trixie said. "He's not talking about the people." Eli said, looking up to the Grenukes. "Pronto. You still have that sonic snare?" Pronto pulled it out. "You're not thinking what I think you're thinking." Trixie said, knowing Eli. "Yep." Eli said.

Billy hopped off his mecha. "Now I got 'em!" He muttered to himself and advance on the gang. Eli took Burpy's barrel from his belt. "Ok Burpy. Let's rally the troops!" He told his partner. Burpy nodded. Billy fired a few more ghouls. "Now!" Eli called. Pronto tossed the snare to Kord and he threw it up. Eli then shot Burpy. Billy looked on as Burpy grabbed the snare and set it off, effecting the Grenukes. 5 of them popped off the rock and fell towards Billy. The slugs exploded on impact. Eli looked on in shock. Billy was still standing and glaring. "We're not finished, Shane!" Billy said, now really mad. "Yes, you are, Billy." Goggles said as he and Shorty stepped forth. Billy's eyes widened, seeing his gang side with Eli. "What are you 2 doing?!" Billy asked. "Working with Blakk was a mistake, Billy." Shorty said. "His ghouls could destroy Slugterra." "She's right, Billy. It's never too late to make a fresh start." Goggles added. Billy would not listen. "Oh, it is _far_ too late for me! Especially since I still have one more ghoul. To use on you, traitors!" He yelled, aiming his blaster at his former gang. Shorty and Goggles held each other in fear.

Eli knew it was time to try his new slug. "Okay, little guy. You're all I have left." He said. The slug smiled as he was being loaded. "Make us proud." Billy just laughed. "That worthless slug?" He asked. "This. Is. Over!" Eli and Billy readied their blasters. Trixie, Kord, Pronto, Harley, Shorty and Goggles watched in worry. Eli and Billy fired their slugs and they transformed. As the slugs collided, they created a huge cloud of energy. After going at it, a huge light gave off and the 2 slugs landed at Eli's feet. Trixie took a closer look with her camera. The green slug was okay and the Hop Rock was unghouled. "What did you do to my ghoul?!" Billy asked in shock. "That ghoul slug is no longer a ghoul slug." Trixie said surprised. Eli picked up the slug. "So, that's what you do. You're a healer." He said. "It's called a Boon Doc slug." Shorty said, giving Pronto his blaster. "And Boon Docs are not just any healers, they cure ghouls." Goggles added. "A Boon Doc?! I had a Boon Doc in my arsenal?! And I let it go?! No way!" Billy ranted. The gang loaded Grenukes into their blasters and aimed at Billy. Billy, knowing he was beaten, took off for his mecha.

"Bad guys defeated, new blasters for Eli and Harley. Not a bad day's work." Kord said, feeling proud about today. "And we got some cool new slugs in the process. And one of them can cure ghouls." Eli said as his new Boon Doc hopped to his hand. "You do know that Boon Docs are like the rarest slugs in Slugterra, right?" Trixie asked. "Really?" Eli asked, not knowing this. The people gathered and started to applaud at what they witnessed. Pronto, as usual, stepped forth to be praised. "Yes, yes! Pronto the Magnificent deserves much praise." He exaggerated. Shorty and Goggles looked at Pronto with confusion. "Don't ask. Just go with it." Harley muttered to them. "Take a bow, Doc." Eli said. The now named Doc took his bow to the people, sharing the praise with his new team.

* * *

After that, Shorty and Goggles were getting ready to leave. "You guys are leaving?" Harley asked. "Yeah. We're gonna head out to fully rehabilitate ourselves from working with Dr. Blakk." Goggles said. "And it'll give us time to make up for lost time on our relationship." "Well, then of course, Pronto will wish the both of you the best of lu-" Pronto stopped himself on hearing the last part. "I'm sorry. Did you say 'relationship?" Shorty and Goggles took each other's hands. "Yeah. Goggles and I are a couple." Shorty explained. "We never got to show it when we were with Billy." Goggles added. Trixie felt sorry for them. She hoped if Eli asked her out, he wouldn't let his duty as a Shane block her out. "Well, you guys are welcome to join the team if you want." Eli offered. "Thanks Eli, but I think we're better off as our own gang. For now, at least." Shorty said. "But, if you need us, just call." Goggles said. "Back at you." Harley said. Shorty and Goggles hopped on their mechas and rode off. The Shane Gang looked on, knowing that they'll see them again.

_To be continued…_

**Well that's done! How about that, huh? Shorty and Goggles leaving the Hooligang and are in a relationship? Never read something like that before, have you? And I'll have more surprises on the way! Leave a review if anybody wants.**

**Slug Arsenal:**

**Eli Shane: Burpy (Infurnus), Joules (Tazerling), Noodle (Flopper), Banger (Armashelt), Bolo (Polero), Rammer (Rammstone), Rocky (Hop Rock), Chiller (Frostcrawler), Suds (Bubbaleone), Burner (Lavalynx), Goober (Jellyish), Sparky (Grenuke), Doc (Boon Doc)**

**Harley Shane: Matchstick (Flaringo), Squrim (Flopper), Frostbite (Frostcrawler)**

**Trixie Sting: Bluster (Tormato), Blizzard (Frostcrawler), Spider (Arachnet)**

**Kord Zane: Bludgeon (Rammstone) Sploder (Hop Rock)**

**Pronto Geronimo: Stinky (Flatulorhinkus), Slimey (Jellyish)**


	5. Club Slug

**Here we go! Chapter 5! Enjoy!**

Chapter 5: Club Slug

Pronto was up late eating chips and watching tv. Suddenly, a commercial came on. "_Do you spend hours_ _on tedious dueling and your slugs still aren't learning new moves_?!" A voice said as 2 bored slingers slung Flatulorhinkuses. "Why, yes I do." Pronto said, with Stinky popping out of the bowl. "_Are the other slingers getting the best slugs and leaving you with Floppers_?!" The voice continued as the one guy held up his Flatulorhinkus, who made a sick face. Pronto looked to Stinky with a glare. "No good, lazy, stinking Floppers? Yes!" He said, picking up Stinky. "_Tired of knowing which slug to use or if it's even worth using at all_?!" The voice continued as a boy was looking through a selection of different slugs. "It's like he's reading my mind!" Pronto said with wide eyes.

A big man with a Thresher on his shoulder then appeared on the screen. "_Here at Club Slug, we know that you have better things to do then waste your time getting your hands dirty. Making your slugs more powerful_." The big man said while the one guy tried to load a Tormato slug into his blaster. "Oh, you are preaching to the choir my friend." Pronto said, falling out of his hammock. "_This slug learned 5 new moves in a single weekend_!" The big man said holding the guy's Tormato. "_And I didn't have to do anything, but sit back and watch, while enjoying a relaxing massage at your fully equipped spa. Thank you, Sergeant Slug_." The other man said as the big man gave a salute. Pronto looked at his toenails. "I could use a pedicure." He said.

"_Then what are you waiting for? I'm Sergeant Slug and I say get up, pack your bags and let me do the work so you don't have to. That's an order_!" Pronto gave a salute. "Sir, yes, sir!" He said. The bowl on his head dipped covering Stinky who gassed. Pronto fainted from the smell.

* * *

**Intro**

* * *

Kord was walking along the hideout's training grounds, until he felt a certain presence behind him. "I'll apologize now for what's gonna happen to you in a few seconds." He said. Eli came from behind a tree. He hopped off a mushroom to the ground. "Too bad your threats aren't as strong as your breath." Eli smacked. "I'm a cave troll. What do I care about breath?" Kord asked, making a point. "Good point." Eli admitted. They got ready to standoff, until- "Uh, what are you guys doing?" Trixie asked, sitting on a nearby rock. 'Wow! If possible, I think Trixie's getting more beautiful every day.' Eli thought, looking at his teammate/crush. "We're practicing the fine art of psyching out your opponent." Kord explained. "How 'bout less psyching and more slinging?" Trixie asked, holding up her blaster, loaded with Bluster. "Keep talking, Trixie." Harley called from on top another mushroom. "Because words are all you're good at slinging with."

Trixie just glared with a smile and fired. Bluster transformed, heading towards Eli and Kord, performing Slyphoon. Eli fired his new Lariat slug, named Larry, into the sky. Larry transformed and slung Eli a Wrappler, pulling into the sky. Kord got caught into the wind caused by Bluster. Eli flew up on Larry's Wrappler, landing on Harley's mushroom. Kord, still struggling, fired Bludgeon right into the Slyphoon, putting Bluster in a dizzy state. With the wind dying down, Kord tumbled to the floor.

Trixie and Kord heard the Shane brothers cheer as they ran to the edge of the mushroom. "You ready?" Eli asked, loading Banger. Harley loaded his new Arachnet, Webs. "Good to go." He said. They backflipped off the edge and fired their slugs. Banger at Kord and Webs at Trixie. Kord fired Sploder to try and cancel out Banger, but Banger just bashed through Sploder and knocked Kord's blaster out of hand. Trixie was distracted by Eli's move, that she didn't see Webs coming. Webs fired a web, trapping Trixie in her sticky silk. Eli and Harley floated down, holding Suds' tentacles. As the brothers touched the ground, Suds popped back to her protoform and into Eli's hand.

Kord shook his head, recovering from the blow and Trixie managed to get free of the web. Banger and Webs bumped heads and hopped back to their slingers' hands. "Way to go, Banger!" Eli said, praising his slug. "You too, Webs. Great job." Harley added. The slugs nodded as the brothers stood up and walked to Kord. Eli held out his hand. "Don't get so worked up, Kord. It's just practice." He said. "For you 2, maybe." Kord said, taking Eli's hand. "A few months ago, you 2 didn't even know what end of the blaster the slug came out. Now I can't even get a shot in."

They then heard Pronto struggling with putting luggage on his mecha, only to have it fall on top of him. Eli came over and uncovered him. "Pronto? What's with all the luggage?" He asked. "You on the run from somebody?" Harley added. "Ah, yes. Very good questions." Pronto said, getting up. "Allow me to ask all of you: are you tired of spending hours with tedious dueling?" He asked, repeating the commercial. "Uh, no. That's the best part about being a slug slinger." Eli said. "Yeah. When you win everytime." Kord said, getting in Eli's space. "Oh, drop it, Kord." Harley said. "Are other slingers leaving you in the dust?" Pronto continued. Kord thought about it. "Well." "It's never bothered us." Eli said, putting his arm over Harley shoulder. "Yes, it does." Pronto tried correcting Eli. Harley dropped his hand on Pronto's head and pushed him down.

Pronto got up and zipped back to the luggage. "And that is why I have paid for all of us to spend a luxurious weekend at Club Slug." He announced. The slugs seemed happy. "Yeah, I'm a slinger not a dancer." Eli stated. "Yeah. Last time you danced, you looked like a fool." Harley said. Eli blushed and slapped him on the side of the head as he laughed. "It's not _that_ kind of club." Trixie said. "They advertise on late night vid screen. It's like a boot camp for slugs and a vacation for slingers." She explained. "Vacation?! Really?" Eli asked, intrigued. "Oh, you and Harley could use one, Eli. You've both been working so hard." Pronto stated. "And while you're sipping fresh squeezed nectars by the heated pool, your slugs will be gaining power and experience. All in one weekend." He explained. Burpy, Banger and Rammer all chittered happily at the opportunity. Eli and Harley thought about it. "Well, that's hard to swallow. But the pool does sound pretty nice." Eli said. "And my mouth is practically watering on the thought of the fresh squeezed nectars." Harley added. "If it helps me get a leg up on you and your brother, Eli. I'm in." Kord said, slapping Eli's shoulder.

Trixie looked to Pronto. "How much did it cost us?" She asked. Pronto began to sweat. "Uh. Can you put a price on our success?" He asked, trying to get out of it. "How much, Pronto?" Eli asked, getting serious. Pronto started sweating harder. "Uh. Heh-heh. Did I mention that we got a group discount?" He asked. Eli glared harder. "Only half our gold." Pronto answered in defeat. "PRONTO!" The group yelled. "Ugh. I can't believe you! I was saving for a new blaster!" Trixie groaned. "We all worked hard for that gold, Pronto!" Harley said. "And that is why you need a vacation. You see? It all evens out." Pronto said, still sweating. Kord now got into Pronto's face. "If this doesn't work, I better get my gold back." Kord warned. "Sorry. No refunds." Pronto said nervously. "Guess we'll just have to load up at the buffet to get our money's worth." Eli said with confidence.

As Harley, Kord and Pronto walked to the mechas, Eli spoke with Trixie. "Why were you saving up for a new blaster?" Eli asked. Trixie looked down at her blaster. "Well, I just feel left out what with you and Harley and the others having cool blasters. So, I started saving up my half of our gold so I could buy a new blaster." She explained. "But now that I think about it, this blaster was a birthday gift from my mother. I'd feel guilty if I replaced it." Eli put a hand on her shoulder. "One thing my dad taught me about slug slinging is that it's not the blaster you have. It's the one who wields it." He said. Trixie smiled. "Thank you, Eli. You're very sweet." She said, kissing his cheek before walking to her mecha. Eli blushed and chuckled, walking over himself.

* * *

On arrival at Club Slug, Trixie took out her camera and started filming. "Here we are at Club Slug. We're about to put this non traditional way to power up your slugs to the test." She said, pointing her camera from the sign to her teammates. "But first, lets meet the other guests." She walked over to 3 other guests. "Hi! I'm shooting a short documentary of our stay here. What's your name and why are you at Club Slug?" She asked the first guest, a big fella almost at Kord's height. "Name's Waylon. And I'm here to power up my slugs! Duh!" He replied. "On the weekend, me and the boys like to kick back and sling a few. After this, my slugs are gonna rule! WHOOO!" "That's nice." Trixie said, feeling uncomfortable around this ego maniac. She turned her camera to a blonde dude looking at his nails. "And you are?" She asked. "You must be the only person in Slugterra who hasn't never heard of the Croesus clan. If Club Slug is all that it claims to be, I may just buy the place." He said with a snobbish attitude. "SNOB! Excuse me." Kord fake sneezed, making Harley snicker. Croesus glared.

Trixie then turned her camera to a punkish girl. "What about you?" She asked. "If you must know, I'm Desdemona and I'm here to power up my slug to get at my brother! Now get that thing out of my face!" Desdemona rudely said, putting her hands on the lens and walking away. "Okay." Trixie said, unsure about their guests. Harley stared after Desdemona. "Wow. Some woman. And the attitude. I actually like that." He said. Kord went wide eyed. "You like that?" He asked. "Everybody has different tastes, don't they?" Harley asked back.

"ALRIGHT!" Called a voice. The gang and guests turned to see Sergeant Slug. "LINE UP AND STAND UP STRAIGHT!" He ordered. Everyone lined up. "YOU FLOPPERS READY TO DO SOME HEAVYLIFTING?!" He turned to Waylon. "At ease. The Floppers that are going to be working here are your slugs! They do the work, so you don't have to." He explained. Waylon and Croesus were very happy, as were Eli's slugs. Sergeant slug noticed the Shane brothers' names on his list. "I see we have a couple of Shanes with us today. It'll be an honor to train up your slugs, sons." He saluted to the brothers. "Oh. I'm just here for the waterslide." Eli said. "And I'm here for the nectars." Harley added. "No offence sir, but I think this sounds too good to be true." Eli said. Sergeant Slug grasped his arm around Eli's shoulder. "No offence taken young man! I hear it all the time." He explained. "But, by the end of this weekend, you and your brother are gonna be believers!" He stepped away from Eli. "Come on, everyone! I will show you how it's done!"

Sergeant Slug led his guests to a special high-tech cannon. Waylon and Croesus looked eager to see what it does. "Without giving away any trait secrets, here's how it works. First of all, who's got a slug I can use as a demonstration?" He asked. Pronto ran forward. "Use mine! Use mine!" He said, holding up Stinky. Stinky hopped eagerly into Sergeant Slug's hand. "Look how eager the little guys are. They know what's good for them." Sergeant Slug said. He loaded Stinky into a big slug barrel and dropped some slug food in it and Stinky ate it. "My special blend of slug chow allows for a quick recharge. And here's why they'll need it." He loaded the barrel and started up the cannon. Kord was getting goosebumps. "Ooh boy! This is pretty cool." He said to Trixie, who nodded. "Once a slug is loaded in the machine, it's slung into velocity." He said as Stinky was fired. "Transforms. Fired into the target tube and shuttled back into the magazine. Where it's fired again. And again. And again. And again. Keeping them going all day and all night." The guests continued to watch. "This gives them the experience they need to learn new moves, faster than you can imagine. And the slugs love it! Hand over all your slugs, everybody, and we'll give 'em all a spin."

The guests, minus Eli and Harley, walked over and dropped their slugs into the barrel. Sergeant Slug loaded them up and fired them back and forth from the cannon. "Look at 'em go!" Sergeant Slug called, giving Waylon a high-five. "And without anybody lifting a finger." Desdemona looked on. "My slug looks meaner already." She said impressed. Sergeant Slug walked over to the Shane brothers. "So, what do ya say, boys? Ready to give my method a try? Your slugs sure are." He said pointing to the slugs. Burpy, Banger, Rammer, Webs, Matchstick and Frostbite chittered with eagerness from in their barrels. "Our slugs and we like powering up old school. We're all on vacation this weekend." Eli said. The slugs grunted in disappointment. "Sorry guys. But this isn't who we are." Harley stated. Sergeant Slug thought about their answer. "You Shanes are famous for being traditional. Well, I've already got your gold." He said, allowing it. "Okay everyone, go out and relax! THAT'S AN ORDER!" He shouted to the guests. "WHOO HOO!" Waylon shouted as he and Croesus ran for the spa. "Except for _you_ guys, of course." He said turning to the slugs. "Come on guys. Let's check out that waterslide." Eli said. "And I wanna try some of those nectars." Harley said, rubbing his hands together. The slugs sighed in defeat. The brothers walked off as Sergeant Slug oversaw the progress.

The guests settled up by the pool. Pronto relaxed in his deck chair. "I gotta admit, Pronto, I could get used to this." Kord said. A woman was giving him a pedicure with a power sander. "Better leave a big tip, Kord." Trixie said getting up. Harley was relaxing in the pool, sipping on a nectar. "Mmm! That is some good nectar. Right guys?" He asked his slugs, who were sipping their own nectars. They chittered in agreement. Near him, Waylon, Croesus and Desdemona were relaxing in their own chairs. "This is a sweet deal! Daddy always said, 'why do something you can pay an underling to do'? And I can pay plenty." Croesus said. Harley glared from afar. "Daddy must be paying _you_ a fortune if he's sending you _here_." He muttered. Croesus glared at Harley as if he heard what he said. "When I get home, my brother's gonna be the one that pays. With a stinker slug right in his rotten face!" Desdemona said. "Whoo!" Waylon said. Harley stared at her, noting her attitude with a strange interest. 'What is it about punk girls that get me so interested?' He thought.

Eli was sitting on top of the waterslide with his slugs, Burpy, Banger, Chiller, Rammer and Bolo. "See? Who needs some crazy machine when you have _this_?" He asked, amazed with the slide. He took off down it, his slugs following. "Listen up, everybody!" Sergeant Slug called. "It's been a few hours now. How'd you like to see first hand on how your slugs are progressing?" Everybody gave a big cheer. "Thought so. Who's up for a friendly duel?" He asked. And as if right on cue, Eli and his slugs came out from the bottom of the slide into the pool, splashing Sergeant Slug. "Did someone say duel? Count me in." Eli said. "That's right, Eli. Who wants to test their new and improved slugs against a Shane?" Sergeant Slug asked. Kord saw his chance. "Yeah. I'll do it." He said getting up from his chair. "You are on." Eli said, ready to duel.

Everybody assembled in the training field. "Ok, boys! One slug, one shot." Sergeant Slug called and tossed Bludgeon's barrel to Kord. Kord loaded Bludgeon into his blaster. "I am taking you down! You are slug meat Eli Shane! You hear that?" Kord asked, trying to psyche Eli out. "Keep talking, Kord! That's about all you can do." Eli psyched back. Burpy chittered, wanting to have a go. "No, not this time, Burpy." Eli said, taking Banger's barrel instead. "Go easy on him, Banger." He said. Banger growled, getting ready. "Enough talk! Get ready slingers! On my mark!" Sergeant Slug called. Eli and Kord got ready to draw their blasters. Eli readied his blaster, loaded with a ready Banger. Kord readied his blaster, loaded with an unusual, yellow-eyed Bludgeon. "DUEL!" Sergeant Slug called.

The 2 fired their slugs. Banger transformed, readied his claws to bash Bludgeon. Bludgeon also transformed and attacked with Rockstorm. But as the rocks made contact with Banger and the ground in front of Eli, they exploded. Eli flew back onto the ground. Banger landed on the ground defeated. Trixie, Harley and Pronto looked on in shock at what happened. Eli sat up, dazed from the explosive attack. Bludgeon hopped back to Kord, who was also shocked from what he did. Sergeant Slug walked up next to Kord. "So, Eli Shane, still think my system's a joke?" He asked. Eli didn't answer. Instead he looked at Bludgeon, who still had those yellow eyes, like he'd just went crazy.

* * *

"Eli!" Kord called and ran over to his best friend. "You okay, buddy?" He asked, helping Eli up. "Yeah. I think so. You beat me!" Eli said, still dazed but impressed. "Your right, I did! I beat ya!" Kord said, feeling proud of himself, pulling Eli into a bro hug. "I DID! I BEAT YA!" "With a whole new move. That was amazing!" Trixie said. "I know, right?!" Kord asked, getting over excited. "Yes. Now I wish I'd bet on you." Pronto said in disappointment. "Pay up." Harley said, bumping the molenoid. Pronto gave him 3 gold coins. "Now are you convinced?" Sergeant Slug asked, walking over. "That was pretty convincing." Eli admitted as he picked up Banger. "Are you okay, Banger? What happened?" He asked his disappointed slug. "You got owned is what happened!" Waylon called.

Harley looked over to Kord and noticed Bludgeon. "Hey Kord. What's up with Bludgeon?" He asked. Kord took his slug from his shoulder and noticed he was panting heavily, like he was running out of steam. "Alright. Back to the machine, tough guy." Sergeant Slug said, taking Bludgeon from Kord. "Takes them a few sessions to get seasoned like old Butch here." He stated, pointing to his Thresher. Eli looked on as Butch and Bludgeon hopped off to the cannon, only Bludgeon hopped very weakly. "Ooh! Me next! Me next!" Pronto called. "The mighty Pronto will defeat Eli even better than the troll." He boasted. "Soon enough, son. How bout it, boys? Ready to get off the sidelines and into the game?" Sergeant Slug asked. Eli looked at Banger, who nodded eagerly. "Okay. Maybe we can give Banger a spin and see how he does in a rematch." Eli said. Harley held out his hand as Webs popped out of her barrel. "Yeah. I think I'll let Webs give it a try too." He added. Banger and Webs smiled.

Eli and Harley were looking at the cannon when Kord walked up. "Are you sure you're okay buddy?" Kord asked, putting a hand on Eli's shoulder. "I really dumped you good back there." "No, it's cool. I'm glad you finally got a shot off on me." Eli said, happy for Kord's victory on him. "Yeah. It's just hard for us to wrap our heads around the idea that a machine could do all that." Harley stated. "Yeah. And it's hard for me to wrap my head around the idea that I just kicked your brother's butt. But there's his butt and here we are. How much proof do you 2 need?" Kord asked. Banger and Webs chittered, hopping onto Eli's hand. "Looks like Banger and Webs are convinced." Eli unsurely stated. "They may just be slugs, but they know what they want." Sergeant Slug said walking over with the machine's barrel. "Hand them over and I'll fire 'em up." Eli looked to the slugs, then walked over to Sergeant Slug. The slugs hopped into his hand and he walked over. "Don't worry, Banger. I'll be right here." Eli assured his slug. "Yeah, me too, Webs." Harley added. "They don't look worried. They look pumped." Kord said. Banger and Webs excitedly hopped into the barrel. Sergeant Slug loaded the barrel and prepped the machine, slinging Banger, then Webs, into velocity and back again.

Sergeant Slug came up beside Eli and gently elbowed him. "Everything's fine, kids. I've trained hundreds of slugs in this thing." He assured the brothers. "Well, they seem to like it." Eli said looking on. "They love it!" Sergeant Slug called. "Just wait 'til morning. I'll make believers outa you 2 yet." The 4 looked on as the slugs were continuing to be slung back and forth.

The next morning, Sergeant Slug walked towards Eli and Harley, holding Banger and Webs, who both had yellow eyes and looked a little shaky. "What did I tell you kids?" He asked. "Okay. I'm a little impressed." Eli said. "I'll admit: so am I." Harley said. "How do you feel, Banger?" Eli asked. "Webs, you good?" Harley asked. Banger and Webs both gave an eerie shriek and growled. Eli and Harley looked at their slugs. "I think they've had enough." Eli decided. "Me too." Harley agreed. Banger and Webs got sad at hearing this. "Suit yourselves." Sergeant Slug said, handing back the slugs. "Guess it's time for breakfast guys. All you can eat buffet!" That got everyone moving. "Excuse me! Coming through! On your left! Molenoid!" Pronto called shoving his way through. "Hey! Watch it, Pronto!" Harley yelled. Suddenly, Banger and Webs hopped out of their slinger's hands. Eli and Harley looked and saw them trying to hop back into the machine. "Come on, Banger. You've had enough." Eli said, holding out his hand. "Yeah, Webs. You too." Harley added, doing the same. Just then, the slugs tried to bite their fingers. "WHOA! Banger!" Eli yelled. "Webs, what's wrong with you?!" Harley asked. The slugs looked sad at what they did.

At the buffet Pronto took a whole plate of wiener dogs. "All you can eat'. A noble concept." He said, sitting with his teammates. "Pronto must fuel the flames of his soon to be even greater greatness with wieners." He held up the plate and started gulping them down. "Banger and Webs would never try to bite us!" Eli stated. "Yeah! That machine is making them crazy!" Harley added. "Hey! The crazier the better for what I'm planning to do with them." Desdemona said. "And did any of you see how deflated Bludgeon was after our duel and how Sergeant Slug hustled him out?!" Eli asked. Waylon and Croesus smiled and shook their heads thinking Eli and Harley were nuts. "He's hiding something." Eli said with a glare. "I think so too." Harley agreed. "He said it takes a while to season them." Waylon reminded them. "Look at Butch. That slug is buff! Whoo!" Harley just slowly shook his head, glaring at the 3. 'Idiots.' He thought.

"Look, maybe something is going on, guys. But this has cost us half our gold. We gotta see it through." Kord said, eating a wiener. "Graduation is in a few hours. We'll stick around until then and keep an eye on the slugs." Trixie planned. "That won't be good enough!" Harley snapped. "Harley's right. He and I both know that the slugs who go through that machine come out wrong. And we're gonna find out why." Eli said, putting Banger on his shoulder and getting up from his seat. Harley followed, glaring at everyone. "Come on, Banger. Maybe a little workout duel will settle you and Webs down." Eli said, scratching Banger's head.

As the brothers got outside, Eli and Harley looked at their slugs, still sad from before. "It's okay, Banger. You and Webs couldn't help yourselves." Eli said, holding up a barrel for Banger. "Yeah, Webs. It's all good." Harley said, doing the same. Banger and Webs hopped into the barrels. Eli and Harley took their positions and loaded their slugs into their blasters and slung them. Banger headed for a mountain and exploded on contact. Webs spun a lot of webs at a stone wall faster than usual. "Whoa." Eli said. Banger and Webs collapsed and hopped over tiredly. "Banger, you okay?" Eli said, kneeling down and holding the barrel for Banger. Harley did the same for Webs. The slugs tried to climb back into their barrels, but they couldn't muster the strength and fell into their slinger's free hands.

Eli and Harley looked at their slugs worriedly. "Banger looks like he's losing steam." Eli said. "Webs too. What's happening to them?" Harley asked. "A scam! That's what's going on." One of the guys from the commercial said, walking up. "I fell for the claim same as you 2. Now look at my slugs. That machine makes them crazy!" He said, holding a tray of slugs. "We thought so! How?" Eli asked. "Get's them all pumped up! Then they collapse after a few shots and you gotta pay for another round! Sarge calls it 'maintenance'. His slugs seem fine, but they're always charging up." The man explained. "That's just what we needed to hear." Harley said, clutching his fist.

During graduation, Sergeant Slug started handing back the slugs. "Congratulations, grads! As promised, here is your new and improved ammo!" He said. "Best slugs money can buy!" Croesus said looking at his slugs. "Can't wait to try them! WHOO!" Waylon said, hyperly eager. "Don't forget to tell everybody you know what Club Slug did for you!" Sergeant Slug said. "You mean rip all these people off?!" Eli said, he and Harley exposing him. "These artificial level ups don't last you guys. And you're gonna have to keep coming back for more." He explained. Trixie and Pronto looked at their slugs, taking note at what Eli said.

Sergeant Slug glared. "Dude! I like coming here!" Waylon said, not listening at all. "Does anybody in this place think before they talk?" Harley asked Eli in a mutter. "My money my slugs. Why do you 2 care?" Croesus asked. "Did brainless money boy seriously ask us that?" Harley asked out loud. Croesus glared. "We care when it hurts the slugs. We care when it's dangerous for all of you." Eli explained. "There's a reason it takes a long time to train a slug. It's that you'll have the experience to handle it. This way, someone's gonna get hurt. And bad." Eli's team smiled at his concern. "Eli's right. These slugs are no better than Dr. Blakk's ghouls." Harley added. Waylon and Desdemona gave that some thought.

"You 2 might be Shanes but you both are also bad for business." Sergeant Slug said before turning to his guests. "Anybody who's with me gets a free month's maintenance." Waylon, Croesus and Desdemona looked at each other and ran to Sergeant Slug's side. "Looks like we got ourselves a deal. And a duel." Sergeant Slug said with a sinister smile. Trixie, Kord and Pronto ran to Eli and Harley. "We got your backs, boys." Kord said. "It's not mine or Harley's backs I'm worried about." Eli said looking at his teammates' crazy slugs, then looking back at their opponents.

* * *

Waylon and Croesus got ready to draw their blasters. "I'm telling you guys, you do not wanna fire those slugs!" Eli warned them. "I paid good money for these slugs and I'm gonna use them." Croesus said, loading a Tormato. "Yeah. _Dirty_ money!" Harley joked. Croesus got angry and fired his slug. "Make way! Pronto can stop this!" Pronto said, stepping in front. "Pronto don't!" Eli said, trying to stop the molenoid, but was too late. Pronto fired Stinky. The Tormato used Slyphoon, swinging stinky back at Pronto, bouncing him off the rock, off a metal rail on the top and back to the ground. "Oh, the smell!" Pronto groaned, dizzy from the bouncing. As the Slyphoon continued, Trixie tried to run for cover. Eli tried to sling Bolo at it, but it blew Bolo right back, wrapping around Trixie's legs, tripping her. "Eli!" She yelled. "Sorry!" Eli called, running from the Slyphoon. It came back around to the others, until it transformed back after hitting a big rock.

Sergeant Slug slung Butch. Eli countered with Burpy. Butch's power knocked Bupry aside as it sawed right through a rock behind Eli. "You'll get 'em next time, Burpy." Eli assured his slug as it bounced back into his hand. Butch continued to saw through the rocks, 'til one was about to collapse on an unconscious Pronto. Trixie gasped, but Kord pull him out of the way, avoiding slugs slung by Waylon. Waylon fired a Rammstone, while Kord countered with Bludgeon. Their collision caused a big energy burst from their new power, but Bludgeon hopped away okay and victorious. The other Rammstone was dizzy and even lost a tooth. "Ha! I love that these slugs are crazy! TEAR IT UP, GUYS!" Desdemona cried out as she loaded and fired her slug. Trixie rolled off and fired a Tazerling, which bounced off the other slug and into the sky, creating a lightning storm. "Look out!" Harley yelled, shoving Desdemona out of the way of a lightning bolt. Desdemona looked at him as they recovered. "Why'd you save me?" She asked. "Because it's what we do. And you shouldn't let a lightning bolt mess up your pretty little face." Harley answered before running back into the fight. Desdemona blushed at what he said. 'Pretty? He think's I'm Pretty?' She thought.

Sergeant Slug dodged another crazy slug as it bounced of the rocks, breaking them and sending them down to the ground. Croesus managed to dodge one and started running. Another rock nearly crushed him, but Kord grabbed him out of the way. Kord carried Croesus over to Eli. "Keep the others safe. Those slugs will lose power in a few minutes." He said. "A few minutes can be a long time!" Kord noted, feeling a little rock hit his head. Trixie pulled Desdemona away from under the still storming cloud before they could get hit by the lightning. "Maybe too long!" Trixie said as Kord picked Desdemona up and carried her and Croesus away.

Sergeant Slug fired Butch again. But Eli countered by firing Chiller. Chiller put Butch into a Deepfreeze attack, sending him into a rock. "Chill!" Eli said. "Seriously? 'Chill?" Trixie asked. Eli blushed and shrugged. "It's a good one-liner." He said. Another slug came from Sergeant Slug and right at the 2. It blew up in between them, sending them flying on both sides. Eli landed near Sergeant Slug. "I got a whole army of amped up slugs, kid! What do you got?" Sergeant Slug asked. "Friends I've fought with. Friends I can count on. Right, Burpy?" Eli answered, holding up Burpy's barrel. Eli loaded Burpy and fired him while Sergeant Slug fired Butch. Burpy fried Butch with Flashfire, noting that Butch was tiring out. "Your pumped-up slugs are deflating, Sergeant." Eli gloated. Sergeant Slug picked up his deflated slugs. "Funny, I have just the solution to that problem." He said taking off. "Harley! Come on!" Eli called to his brother, going after the sergeant. "Right behind you, bro!" Harley called, following Eli.

The Shane brothers followed Sergeant Slug, only to meet the cannon's gun barrel. "You 2 are gonna shut me down?!" Sergeant Slug asked, loading the barrel into the cannon. "I don't think so! Your slugs are beat! Mine are pumped!" He fired slug after slug from his cannon, laughing like a complete maniac. Eli and Harley took cover behind a rock. "You sure you're up for this, Banger?" Eli asked his still recovering Armashelt. Banger nodded. Eli took the barrel and loaded it into his blaster. "Then let's make it count!" He said. He jumped from behind and fired Banger towards the machine. Banger entered through the gun barrel and short circuited the machine. "NO!" Sergeant Slug yelled as he jumped out of the way as his machine blew up.

The sergeant looked over the burning pieces of his precious machine, not noticing Harley firing Webs at him, trapping him in the Arachnet's webbing. "That should hold you for now, Sergeant." Harley said. Banger then dropped from the sky and into Eli's hand. "Way to go, Banger!" Eli praised his slug. Banger nodded happily at his praise.

After all the craziness, everybody gathered at the entrance. "Well, our slugs didn't _exactly_ power up. And we almost got killed. But at least no one else will get scammed." Trixie pointed out. "As much as I hate to admit it, you were totally right about this bogus bootcamp." Desdemona said, holding up her slug. "I never would've gotten the drop on my brother with all the bunk slugs they barf out here." Harley walked up to her. "Maybe I could give you some pointers on getting the drop on your brother sometime, if you want?" He offered. Desdemona thought about it, then smiled and blushed. "It's a date." She answered. "Maybe I'll try the old-fashioned way next time. And when I say 'I', I mean our butler and perhaps the cook and chauffeur." Croesus said snobbishly, walking away. "Not likely, money boy." Harley muttered. Eli and Desdemona looked at him, noticing a phone-like device in his hand. "Harley, what did you do?" Eli asked. "I found the number to his homestead and phoned his parents." Harley answered with a grin. "He's gonna have quite the work out when he gets home." Eli and Desdemona snickered at this.

"That was still pretty awesome though. You know, the way our slugs went TOTALLY NUTS! WHOO!" Waylon said like a complete dunderhead. "Waylon! Not awesome!" Eli reminded him. "Oh yeah. In case you haven't noticed, I'm not exactly a fast learner. But still learned my lesson about stuff like this." Waylon said. "And hey. If you guys ever need some extra help, me and my boys will be there to help sling a few." He added. "Yeah, me too." Desdemona said, shocking everyone. "Just because I'm a punk, doesn't mean I don't have a heart for protecting my home and my friends." She said. "We'll hold you guys to that." Eli said. Desdemona gave Harley a wink before she and Waylon walked on their way home.

As Eli waved goodbye to them, Pronto started digging through the rubble from the battle. "Oh, please be there, please be there! Please be there!" He pleaded while digging. "What's wrong, Pronto? Is one of your slugs under there?" Trixie asked, getting on her mecha. "Slugs?! Blah! Don't be stupid." He answered insultingly. "I'm trying to find-" He stopped and gasped happily, pulling out a bag. "Our money! Now we can take advantage of an interesting opportunity, I have recently become aware of." He said, walking to his mecha beast. "Opportunity?" Trixie asked in disbelief. "Guess some people never learn." Eli stated as they rode away. "Apparently some genius has devised a method of supercharging mecha beasts, so they run 5 times faster." Pronto explained. The others groaned at Pronto's foolishness.

* * *

Sometime after the left, Sergeant Slug, still wrapped in the web, was approached by a shadow. He turned to see who it was, and he saw Dr. Blakk. "It seems that you've been busy with slugs, Sergeant." Blakk observed. "Even though my ghouls are savagely crazy enough, I could use a weapon like yours to my advantage." Sergeant Slug gave it some thought. "When do I start, sir?" He asked with a wicked grin.

**Well, that's that. Sergeant Slug now working for Dr. Blakk. Huh? Huh?! And about Desdemona, I've seen goths with big hearts for others before. And more surprises will be on their way. Leave a review if you want.**

**Slug Arsenal:**

**Eli Shane: Burpy (Infurnus), Joules (Tazerling), Noodle (Flopper), Banger (Armashelt), Bolo (Polero), Rammer (Rammstone), Rocky (Hop Rock), Chiller (Frostcrawler), Burner (Lavalynx), Suds (Bubbaleone), Goober (Jellyish), Sparky (Grenuke), Doc (Boon Doc), Larry (Lariet)**

**Harley Shane: Matchstick (Flaringo), Squirm (Flopper), Frostbite (Frostcrawler), Webs (Arachnet)**

**Trixie Sting: Bluster (Tormato), Blizzard (Frostcrawler), Spider (Arachnet)**

**Kord Zane: Bludgeon (Rammstone), Sploder (Hop Rock)**

**Pronto Geronimo: Stinky (Flatulorhinkus), Slimey (Jellyish)**


	6. The Slug Run

**Here we go! Chapter 6! And are you all in for a big surprise! But what kind of surprise? Read it and find out! Enjoy!**

Chapter 6: The Slug Run

"_Sunday, Sunday, Sunday! It's the Slug Run! As always, a new deadly course with new deadly challenges! And a new deadly, awesome slug as a prize! So awesome it could kill you! DEATH BY AWESOME! This year, we've got one of the rarest slugs of all: A Crystalyd slug. One surfaces every hundred years! So, expect the most ruthless, wild racers on a course so dangerous, IT'S INSANE!"_

Eli and Harley watch as the commercial played on the screen. "Um, that!" He said, with his brain completely shut down. "So awesome!" Harley squealed. "Yeah. The Slug Run is always amazing." Trixie said, seemingly not to thrilled. "Total mecha crush fest! I can't wait to watch it!" Kord excitedly said. "What do you mean '_watch_'?" Eli asked, getting an idea. "Eli? What're you doing?" Harley asked, knowing the tone in Eli's voice. "No. No way! You've done a ton of crazy things since I met you, but when it comes to this race, you're gonna have to trust me." Kord said.

Eli just smirked as he and his gang were standing in the cavern hosting the race. "Or not." Kord sighed in disappointment. "This is gonna be-" Eli chuckled. "Awesome!" He muttered.

* * *

**Intro**

* * *

As other racers and spectators wandered about the area, the Shane Gang was prepping Eli. Pronto and Harley stared, Kord was tuning up Lucky and Trixie was documenting the race. "Come on, guys. It's a race! How bad can it be?" Eli asked, which he would soon regret.

The host for the Slug Run appeared and addressed the racers and spectators. "Welcome racers! Make sure your death and dismemberment forms are filled out! As always, when you lose limbs it's up to you to pick them up! Unless you lose both arms in which case, no high-fives for you." He said. Eli looked over to Kord confused. Kord just shook his head. "And remember: the slugging rule will be in event!" The host finished. "Oh! Okay, well that's good. I'm not bad with my blaster." Eli said in relief, twirling his blaster. "Um, the slugging rule is that you _can't_ use your blaster against other riders." Trixie explained while documenting. "Shouldn't that be called 'the no slugging rule?" Eli jokingly asked. That made Trixie and Harley giggle. "Okay, you got me there." Trixie admitted while blushing.

"If you want to survive, you need to be like Pronto." Pronto exaggerated while trying to advise Eli on surviving the race. "Razor sharp focus. Nerves of steel. And never let anything get in your head." That is until he saw someone that made him gasp. It was another molenoid riding up on a mole themed mecha, waving to the crowd. "Sedo! My life. Long. Nemesis!" Pronto glared recognizing the other mole. Harley took notice on Pronto making his way towards this Sedo mole and followed him. They stopped at the mecha, avoiding a chicken mecha in the process. "So, Sedo!" Pronto called, making Sedo turn his head. "We meet again." Pronto announced, glaring at his nemesis. "Ah, Pronto!" Sedo said with an equal glare. "How have you been?" He asked in a friendly way, holding out his hand. Pronto immediately started shaking Sedo's hand. "Oh, I've been good as you might as well know but-" He stopped himself, realizing what he was doing. "Wait, wait! No! Don't you remember?! We're life. Long. Nemeses!" He said, reminding his foe. "Yes, I know. But just because we are nemeses doesn't mean I can't call you a friend." Sedo said handing Pronto an autographed picture of himself.

Pronto looked at it and started to boil like a tea kettle. "Hold that look! Thanks, Pronto. Got it!" Trixie said filming Pronto's mad face before turning to Sedo's mecha. "A mole mecha. That's cute." She said. "Yes. I take great pride in my roots. I am a mole on a mole. Doubling my moleness, compared to that of Pronto here." Sedo explained, insulting Pronto in the process. "Ooh. Pronto, your nemesis just claimed to be twice the mole you are. Any reaction?" Trixie asked, putting her camera back on Pronto. Pronto just ripped the picture in half and angrily walked away. "Seriously? That's just rude." She remarked. Harley stepped beside her. "Actually, rudeness can be an effective reaction if you think about it." He explained.

Eli and the other racers, including Sedo, took their place at the starting line. Burpy looked really worried. "Don't worry, Burpy. We'll take it easy. We're just here to have fun. And if we happen to win, bonus." Eli assured his slug. Burpy gave a smile and hopped into his barrel, between Chiller and Rocky. Just then Pronto came up beside Eli. "Pronto! What are you doing?!" Eli asked in shock. "Sorry, Eli. But I have a score to settle with Sedo." Pronto said, pointing to Sedo. "He thinks he's more mole than Pronto? Pronto will show him who is the moliest of the molenoids!" Pronto than screamed a battle cry, making Trixie, Harley and Kord cringe, until Pronto started coughing. "And besides, this way we may both win today." Pronto explained. Eli only nodded, understanding Pronto's rivalry.

"Are you racers ready?!" The host called. Eli, Pronto, Sedo and the other racers. Prepped their mechas. "Set!" The host was about to start when another mecha was heard with the crowd cheering. Everyone turned to see a blonde man riding a horse themed mecha walking up to the starting line. "Yes, I know. I'm right on time." The guy said with a laugh. Trixie, Harley and Kord looked at each other unamused. "Who is this guy?" Harley asked quietly. "Vance Volt doesn't do standing around. So, if we could just, you know." Vance said to the host. "Sure thing Mr. Volt." The host said. "GO!" He fired a Flaringo from his blaster to start the race.

The racers took off. Though the chicken mecha was a bit haywire. A mammoth mecha swung its trunk at a bull mecha, and the bull mecha retaliated by charging at the mammoth's feet. Vance caught up to a female racer on a jackal mecha and kicked her down off her mecha. Eli hopped over the mecha and rode up beside Pronto. "Dude, what's with that Vance Volt guy? Who is he?" He asked. "I'm the 3-time champion. And the guy to beat." Vance said, riding up to Eli. "Not that any of _you_ have any chance to do that." He gloated, making Eli glare. "Now that I've completely overhauled my mecha, thanks to my new sponsor: Blakk Industries." He activated some boosters on his mecha and sped ahead.

"Volt works for Blakk?!" Eli asked in shock. "If so, that could mean only one thing, Eli!" Pronto said. "Blakk is after the Crystalid." Eli finished. "Exactly!" Pronto agreed. "Now we have to win, so we can stop Volt from getting the slug." Eli said. "Great! A double win for us! You must defeat Volt, and I must defeat Sedo! Let's go!" Pronto yelled, riding ahead and battle crying. "Hey! Pronto! Wait up!" Eli yelled, racing to catch up.

The racers rode into a dark cavern filled with rock pillars. They started to ride around the pillars. The mammoth mecha bashed through the pillars, knocking one of them down on a snake mecha. Eli hopped over the pillar and continued on towards the exit. In the lead, Vance came up to a tar pit. He hopped on the mushrooms on the wall to cross. The bull mecha rider was anything but lucky. He knocked down the mushrooms, trying to cross. Eli hopped on the bull mecha and across the tar pit, racing after Vance.

Eli caught up to Vance. "Little young to be in a Slug Run, aren't you?" Vance asked. "Heh! I've been riding mechas since-" Eli stopped. "Wait. Has it really only been since January?" He asked himself. "You want some advice, newbie?" Vance asked. "What? Work on my racing banter?" Eli guessed. Vance was unamused by Eli's joke. "Don't follow me if you want to live." He said speeding ahead. "Who does this guy think he is?!" Eli asked himself, annoyed with Vance's attitude and racing to catch up.

Vance and Eli exited the cavern up to a ridge, loaded with skinny rock towers. Vance hopped off the ledge and onto one of the towers. Eli halted at the edge, looking on at Vance in shock. Vance gave a salute and continued hopping across on the towers. Eli looked back, noticing Pronto, Sedo and the other 2 racers taking the land bridge across. "That's gonna take too long." Eli said, trying to think. He looked on at Vance, still hopping. "If Vance can take a shortcut, so can I!" Eli said, revving Lucky and jumping to the first tower. They were a little wobbly at first. "Okay, this was a bad idea!" Eli realized looking down. He hopped to another tower and tried to climb another, but Lucky slid right down it, Eli trying to keep his mecha steady and the slugs catching the air from the speed. Eli slid down the rock slide and bounced off 2 more towers to another slide. As he backflipped off the slide, he collided into another tower, sliding to the ground.

Vance stopped to look. "I told you not to follow me!" He called, annoyed with Eli and continuing. Eli stood up. "Everyone okay?" He asked his team. The slugs chittered, noting that they were okay. Lucky stood up undamaged. Eli got back on. "Looks like we're all good." He said, until he looked up. "Or maybe not."

Back on the land bridge Pronto managed to catch up to Sedo. "You think you out bested me, Sedo? But I have you right where I want you." Pronto gloated. "Oh, do you now?" Sedo asked. "Yes. Now feel the wrath of Pronto the Destroyer!" Pronto yelled as he leaped his mecha at Sedo, only to miss him and crash into the wall. Pronto slid down the wall, past the chicken mecha and towards the ridge. Vance, who was hopping from the last tower, noticed Pronto sliding towards him. "Hey! What are you doing?!" He called before Pronto smashed into him, sending him down the ridge. "Oh, my aching brains." Pronto said, dazed from the wall. He recovered and looked down the ridge. "Well, that's that for Vance." He said, before looking at Sedo, still continuing on with the race. "Now for Sedo." He gave his battle cry and rode on.

Vance slid down the rock walls like a pro. He swung from towers and slid down walls and slides before landing smoothly on the ground. Eli rode up to him. "Well, it looks like this race just became more of a challenge." Vance said, looking around. "You do know that this isn't the shortcut, right?" Eli asked. "I've gotten out of worse." Vance assured before noticing Eli slowly backing Lucky up. "I know Vance Volt is intimidating, but there's no need to-" Eli shushed him and pointed behind him. Vance seemed confused and slowly turned his head to see what was what. His eyes widened at what he saw. "Shadow Clan!" He whispered as 6 Shadow Clan crawled towards them.

* * *

The Shadow Clan shrieked as they got closer to Eli and Vance. "Something tells me they're not in the race." Eli said dead on. "Yeah. And something tells me you're right." Vance agreed. "Let's move!" Vance rode ahead, and Eli rode after him. The Shadow Clan chased after them. Vance hopped onto a small cliff and Eli followed, trying to climb the last bit. "Come on, kid, kick it! Go! Go!" Vance called to Eli. Eli made it up the cliff, with the Shadow Clan closing in. "They're not slowing down!" Eli called, looking back. "We have to get out of this canyon!" "Well eventually, this leads to a dead end. We're trapped!" Vance said.

The Shadow Clan took some Hop Rocks into their tails and threw them at Eli and Vance. The 2 serpentined around the slugs. "So that's the way it gonna be." Eli said, holding up his blaster. He fired Rocky and knocked down some of the foliage. He then fired Chiller and froze the foliage. Rocky and Chiller smiled at their progress, high fived each other and hopped away. Vance turned his head. "What do you think you're doing?!" Vance asked in shock. "Mostly just trying not to die so I can get back to the race!" Eli said. "This _is_ the race! Everything's a race! And you just broke the slugging rule!" Vance explained and accused. "The rule is that I can't fire slugs at another racer!" Eli reminded him. "I don't think those things are trying to win a race!"

The Shadow Clan broke through the ice wall and continued chasing the racers. "After careful consideration, you're right." Vance said, nodding. Eli fired his new Tormato, Gust, ahead of them, creating Slyphoon. "Go!" Eli called. He and Vance made their way inside the Slyphoon, but the Shadow Clan grabbed Eli's mecha and pulled him back out. They surrounded Eli, but he revved up Lucky and knocked them away. Eli rode his way to the Slyphoon. "Here!" Vance called tossing Eli a cable cord from his mecha. Eli hooked it on Lucky and got pulled up to the top with Vance as Gust transformed back. "Well, now we're even." Vance said. "If you got any brains, you'll drop out of this race before it kills you." He rode off back into the race. Eli thought of what he said but rode after him.

They rode up to Pronto, who was still a little dazed. Eli slowed down beside him. "You're okay!" Pronto said in shocking relief. "Yeah. Are _you_ okay?" Eli asked. "I will be once either one of us wins this race and when I best Sedo!" Pronto said charging after his nemesis. Eli rode after them too.

The racers soon entered a cave loaded with crystals. Some in a loopy shape. Vance rode up a ramp and hopped over one of the crystals. Eli rode up to Pronto. "What ever you do, do not touch those crystals!" Pronto warned his friend. "Why? What do they do?" Eli asked, confused. "It's best you don't know or find out." Pronto assured. "Now less questions and more crushing our enemies." He cried his battle cry and caught up with Sedo, coughing in the process. "Bet you didn't expect to see _me_ again, huh?" Pronto rhetorically asked. "Must you always make a fool out of yourself while trying to best me Pronto?" Sedo asked jokingly. "Why you-" Pronto's mecha tripped on some little ground crystals, sending him flying.

Pronto soon got his underpants caught on one of the looped crystals. Pronto quivered in fear of what was about to happen as Sedo rode under him. The crystal started to glow and move. Pronto slid off as the crystal went underground. It came back up, revealing it to be a giant crystal worm. Eli stopped in his tracks, in front of the worm. "And _that_ is why we don't touch the crystals." Pronto said in a daze. Eli looked on in shock at the beast in front of him. The worm caught eye of the chicken mecha, still haywire, and dove on after it. The rider looked back and screamed. The worm dove in the ground, knocking the mecha down. Vance continued on as other crystal worms in the cave started to wake up.

One of the worms knocked down the bull mecha as two others chased after Vance. He dodged them left and right, hopping from ledge to ledge, making his way to the exit. Eli tried to hop to the edge the same way but ended up having to climb the rest of the way. "Man! I have got to learn how he does that!" He said. He continued as another worm got ready to attack. Eli loaded and fired Rammer at the worm. Rammer uppercutted and slammed the worm down, allowing Eli to get through. "Nice work, Rammer! Now get back home safe!" Eli called. Rammer nodded and hopped away.

Eli loaded up another slug and fired it at a pillar on a land bridge where another worm was waiting. The pillar got destroyed and the part of the land bridge with the worm on it fell into the canyon. Burpy hopped on Eli's shoulder as he hopped across the gap and looked on at his work. He rode to catch up with the others. Sedo and the chicken were neck 'n' neck with Vance following close behind. Eli brought up the rear, eyeing Vance. "Gotta find a way to catch up." Eli muttered. Burpy chittered and pointed to a slide. "Great idea, Burpy." Eli said, turning to the slide. He went down the slide and ended up near Vance. "Hey. How's it going?" Eli asked. Vance rammed Eli, almost knocking him over the edge. But Eli picked himself back up. "Give it up, kid! I'm gonna be the winner." Vance said as the continued to bash each other. "Yeah. You're a real winner alright, racing for Blakk!" Eli said ramming Vance into the wall. "Mecha beasts are expensive! And I go through a lot of them! I don't care who's sponsoring me!" Vance explained. "You should care! Blakk is not a good guy! I won't let you win and get that slug!" Eli said as they bashed into each other again, causing their mechas to hook. "We're hooked!" Eli called.

Eli looked behind Vance and readied his blaster. "Wait! What're you-" Vance started, thinking Eli was gonna slug him. But Eli fired Joules past Vance's head. Joules fired her Tazerbolt at a nearby worm, knocking it down. "I thought you were gonna slug me!" Vance said. "I just saved your life! Besides, there's that no slugging rule so I wouldn't shoot you even if I wanted to." Eli shot back. "You're nuts, kid! You're willing to risk your life just to get a slug?" Vance asked. "I'm a Shane! It's my duty to fight against Blakk and his ghoul slugs! If you win that slug, he's gonna turn it into one of his ghouls!" Eli explained. Vance's eyes went wide-open. 'This kid's a Shane? Eli Shane? Of the Shane brothers?' He thought. "So, I can't let you win that slug for Blakk! But that doesn't mean I have to cheat to win. Besides, so far I haven't seen anything I can't handle!" Eli spoke too soon. Sedo slammed the chicken into another worm. Only this worm was bigger than the others. "Until now." Eli said in regret. Eli and Vance attempted to stop but ended up sliding towards the big crystal worm.

* * *

As they slid towards the worm, Eli held up a barrel loaded with his new Thresher slug, Buzzsaw. "Do it, Buzzsaw!" He said, firing the Thresher from his blaster. But the worm deflected Buzzsaw back at them. Buzzsaw sawed right through where Eli and Vance were hooked and they split apart before they hit the worm. As they ran off, the worm curled up and rolled after them. Sedo had the chicken pinned down under the foot of his mole mecha as Eli and Vance raced by into the last cave. Sedo looked and saw the worm coming. He and the chicken took off into the cave after Eli and Vance. The chicken mecha got ran over by the worm and Pronto shouted his battle cry, bringing up the rear. The worm came up behind Sedo and smooshed him and his mecha, leaving him dazed.

Eli looked back to see that the worm was closing in on him. He revved up Lucky and sped up to catch up to Vance. "Are you crazy?! You're not fast enough to stay ahead of that thing! You wanna get squashed?!" Vance asked, now thinking Eli was really crazy. "Uh, no! You wanna let me win?" Eli asked. "Sorry, kid. Vance Volt loses to no one, not even a Shane." Vance said, activating his boosters and going for the win. Burpy was now getting really worried about the worm. "I'm beginning to think Kord was right about this race." Eli said, regretting his choice to enter the race. "If we get killed, he's totally gonna rub it in our faces! So, I hope this works. Do your thing, Webs!" He said. He borrowed Webs from Harley before the race started. Eli slung Webs towards the worm, creating a big web that caught the worm. "Hang on, guys!" He said as the web with the still moving worm caught Lucky's hind legs. "Wait! I'm the one that needs to hang on!" He said in realization.

The web slung the worm back towards Pronto, snagging him off Fernando. The web than slung Eli straight towards the cave exit, where the finish line was located. As Eli flew through the air, people cheered and took photos of the air-born Shane. "You hear that, Burpy?! We made it!" He shouted, thinking he got ahead of Vance. Eli slid Lucky across the finish line. "And here comes Eli Shane! Sliding into second place!" The host announced, making Eli shocked. He saw the people surrounding Vance, praising him and taking pictures. "Eli!" Harley's voice called. Eli turned to see his brother walking towards him. "Sorry, bro. Looks like Blakk won this time." Harley said, climbing onto Lucky. "Yeah. I guess there are times when a Shane has to admit when he's beaten." Eli said in disappointment as he slowly rode away. Vance saw the Shane brothers leaving. "Excuse me folks." He said, riding after the brothers.

Eli was still sulking as he rode Lucky with his head down. "Sorry, Eli." Vance said, catching up to them. "No prize for coming in second. Except this time." He held out the Crystalid to the brothers. "Really? Are you sure?" Eli asked, surprised that a Blakk agent was _giving_ them the rare slug. Harley held out his hand and the Crystalid jumped into it. "I won. That's a good enough prize for me. Like I always say: I'm a racer, not a slinger." Vance said. But, what about Blakk?" Harley asked, concerned about Vance. "Yeah. He'll be expecting you to give the slug to him." Eli added. "Well, seeing what you put on the line just to stop him from getting that thing and after you mentioned about Blakk turning slugs into ghouls, something's telling me he shouldn't have it." Vance said. The brothers smiled, now knowing that Vance is really a good sport.

"Oh, but he _will_ have it." Sedo said, appearing right in front of them. He activated a cannon on his mecha and fired a Hop Jack ghoul at them, knocking them off their mechas and the Crystalid out cold. "I'll give him the slug myself." Sedo said with an evil chuckle. "What?" Eli asked in shock. "Sedo's working for Blakk!" Harley deduced. "Did you really think that Blakk would entrust everything to a showoff like Vance Volt?" Sedo asked pointing at an unconscious Vance. "I was his hidden 'mole' in the race. You could say that I'm a mole who's a mole on a mole! Tripling my molitude to unfavorable awesomeness. Which is way more mole than your idiot friend, Pronto." Eli and Harley glared at the evil mole. "Blakk plays all the angles. That's why he always gets what he wants." Sedo said looking at the Crystalid, who was now asleep. "Well, he doesn't have what he wants yet, Sedo!" Eli said. "Yeah. You want the slug, you gotta go through us." Harley added with a dare. Sedo chuckled. "You 2 really think you're both that fast?" He asked, readying his cannon. "I don't know. Let's find out." Eli dared.

Sedo fired another Hop Jack, while Eli drew his blaster and fired Suds at the same time. Suds caught the ghoul in her tentacles and swung it down. Harley then drew his blaster and fired his new Jellyish, Gels, at Sedo, splattering his perfect hair with slime. That made Sedo really mad. He fired 4 more ghouls at the brothers, making them duck for cover. Sedo rode his mecha over to the Crystalid, still asleep. He flipped it from his mecha's clawed foot into his hand. Eli and Harley jumped out from their cover and aimed their blasters at Sedo. "Alright, mole. Hand back the slug or we'll-" Eli started to say before Sedo interrupted. "Hold that thought for a second." Sedo pushed a button and 4 more blasters formed from his mecha. The slugs cowered back into their barrels. "You were saying, Shane?" Sedo taunted. Eli and Harley glared with fear. "I can see by your faces that you're both impressed. Blakk compensated me quite well to be his backup plan." Sedo explained. "Now, drop your weapons! Pretty please."

Eli and Harley didn't know what to do, until the ground started shaking and a familiar battle cry could be heard echoing off the walls. "That cry! It couldn't be!" Sedo muttered, looking around in worry. Just then, the giant crystal worm came up from the ground. With Pronto _riding_ it! The worm slammed into Sedo's mecha, causing the slug to fly out of his hand and into Pronto's. Sedo recovered and stared in shock. "Pronto?! I thought you were worm chow!" He said. Pronto held up the Crystalid in a slug barrel. "Oh, you can't get rid of _me_ that easily. Know why, Sedo? Because I am Pronto! Your life! Long! Nemesis!" He said, loading the slug into his blaster. Sedo charged and Pronto fired the slug. It transformed and drilled under where Sedo's mecha landed. The mecha struggled to hold on but was slipping fast. "You can't bury a mole!" Sedo called, knowing he was doomed. "I will dig my way back up to get you, Pronto! Just you wait! One day!" And with that, Sedo and his mecha dropped into the tunnel.

"And so, it will be read that Sedo was defeated by Pronto, worm rider!" Pronto declared. The Crystalid hopped back up from the tunnel it made and towards Eli. "Oh, sorry I had to do that, boys." Pronto said, knowing his rivalry with Sedo nearly cost them the slug. "Are you kidding? Just as long as Blakk doesn't have it, it's cool." Eli said, picking up the slug. "That's some trick you can do, little guy." He said to the slug, who smiled at the boy. "How about we call you Digger?" The slug nodded and hopped into an empty slug barrel.

Harley walked up to the worm. "Nice shooting, by the way." He said to Pronto, who gave a big smile and tried to look dashingly heroic. "Nice worm too." The worm lowered its head and rubbed up against Harley. Eli laughed at this. "I think someone likes you." Eli said. Harley laughed along, petting the worm alongside Pronto. "Can we keep it, please?" Pronto pleaded. Eli smiled, thinking of an idea for the worm.

* * *

After that, Trixie and Kord met up with them. Kord was fixing up Vance's mecha, while Pronto retold the events of the race and after. "And then Pronto saved the day." Pronto said with a bow. "Yeah, whatever. I'll eat my wrench if that's what really happened." Kord offered, not believing a single word of Pronto's 'fairy tale'. "Well, you'll have to take Eli's word for it. I was out like a light." Vance said. "Actually, that's exactly what happened." Eli said. "If you still don't believe us, Kord, ask Pronto's new pet, Wormy." Harley said, pointing to the big crystal worm behind Kord. The beast gently growled, making the troll jump. "You mean this thing is Pronto's pet?! Like, literally?!" He asked. "Ha-ha! Yes! So, start eating, cave troll!" Pronto barked. Kord looked at his wrench and groaned, taking a big bite out of it.

Trixie walked over to Eli with sorrow in her eyes. "Sorry we didn't make it to the finish line in time." She apologized. Eli put a hand on her shoulder. "Yeah. But the important thing is-" "Pronto crushed Sedo!" Pronto yelled in victory. "Yeah that. And we also stopped Blakk from getting Digger here." Eli said pointing to his new teammate. "I'll take that as a win any day." He finished. "Even though you lost. To me." Vance said. "Yeah I know. But it was close." Eli said. "Yeah. I guess it was." Vance agreed and walked over to Kord, still working on the mecha. "How's it look?" He asked. "She's good as new. Plus a few extra touches." Kord answered. Vance got on and revved it, happy that his mecha was okay. "You've got quite the team here, Eli." He said turning to Eli and his friends. "And you have quite a leader." He held out his hand to Eli and Eli shook it, earning each other's friendship.

Eli then decided to make Vance an offer. "You know, Blakk's gonna be looking for you. If you wanna join up with us-" He offered. Vance gave it some thought. "I know I said that I was a racer and not a slinger." Vance started. "But, now that I know why Blakk wanted the Crystalid slug, how could I refuse?" The gang were happy to hear that Vance Volt was joining them. "And besides, if Blakk wanted to find me, he would have to catch me first." Vance stated. "Now come on, Eli. Let's you and me have a little rematch back to your hideout." He was about ride off, until Eli stepped in front of him. "You think it's as simple as that?" Eli asked. "No way you're getting a head start on us. At least, until you teach us some of your moves." Vance smiled. "So long as you teach me some of yours." Vance bargained. "Deal." Eli accepted. "You could stand to learn a few new moves." Trixie said, gently elbowing Kord. "So could you." Kord shot back. "Try to keep up, teammies!" Vance called as they raced off back to the hideout with Wormy following close behind.

Pronto, however, was completely unaware that his teammates were gone. "Well, if you really want to learn a truly awesome move, watch as I demonstrate how I rode Wormy, the mother of all crystal worms." He said. "I rode up to her and said "Worm! Prepare to be tamed! I am going to ride you and you are going to like it!" I could tell by the smell of her underbelly, she knew who was boss. Now, here's the best part. Eh-" He stopped, finally noticing they were gone. "Hey! Where did everybody go?!"

_To be continued…_

**Well, how's that for a surprise, huh? Vance Volt has joined the Shane Gang. An even more surprises are on the way. I know Vance said that he's a racer and not a slinger, but the truth is: to me, anybody in Slugterra can be a slinger, if they try. I also didn't like Sedo's original personality towards Pronto. Leave a review if anyone wants.**

**Slug Arsenal:**

**Eli Shane: Burpy (Infurnus), Joules (Tazerling), Noodle (Flopper), Banger (Armashelt), Bolo (Polero), Rammer (Rammstone), Rocky (Hop Rock), Chiller (Frostcrawler), Burner (Lavalynx), Suds (Bubbaleone), Goober (Jellyish), Sparky (Grenuke), Doc (Boon Doc), Larry (Lariet), Gust (Tormato), Buzzsaw (Thresher), Digger (Crystalid)**

**Harley Shane: Matchstick (Flaringo), Squirm (Flopper), Frostbite (Frostcrawler), Webs (Arachnet), Gels (Jellyish)**

**Trixie Sting: Bluster (Tormato), Blizzard (Frostcrawler), Spider (Arachnet)**

**Kord Zane: Bludgeon (Rammstone), Sploder (Hop Rock)**

**Pronto Geronimo: Stinky (Flatulorhinkus), Slimey (Jellyish)**


	7. Mecha Mutiny

**This is it! Chapter 7! And Harley is about to get his own mecha beast! This is gonna be fun! I assure you! Enjoy, everyone!**

Chapter 7: Mecha Mutiny

In the middle of a lush green cavern, an Arachnet slug was building a web, until he saw Eli and Harley riding Lucky at top speed, chasing a Hoverbug slug. "There he goes!" Eli called. The Hoverbug zipped through the web. The Arachnet, now sitting on a mushroom, saw Eli coming, got scared and tried to hop away, but she got caught by Eli. Eli smiled at the little slug and gently placed her in a slug barrel next to Burpy. Kord and Trixie were a little ways ahead, trying to keep neck 'n' neck with the flying slug. Vance was riding beside the brothers. And Pronto was bringing up the rear. "We're never gonna catch that thing, Eli! This is like a game to them." Kord explained. "Oh, so that explains why this is so much fun!" Eli said. "Trixie, Kord head him off! Vance, you're with me and Harley." Kord and Trixie sped up to keep up with the slug. "And Pronto will bravely take the rear." Pronto boasted, running into the Arachnet's web.

Trixie and Kord closed in on the Hoverbug, but the slug had a plan. As Trixie went in to grab him, the slug blew her a raspberry and zipped off. As the slug chuckled, Eli and Harley took the lead. "He's hard to catch now. Just imagine when he transforms." Eli said in wonder. "Oh, I can imagine, bro. I don't know if you were sick that day, but Dad told me about Hoverbugs." Harley said. "Really?" Eli asked. "Oh, yeah. These slugs are very crafty and also very childish, but they mean well." Harley explained. "Your brother's right, Eli." Trixie said. "I don't know any slinger whose ever used a Hoverbug."

As the gang continued to pursue the slug, they were coming up to a chasm. "This pusuit has doomed me! We'll never make it across the chasm!" Pronto called, fearing for their lives. "The mole's right! I've jumped some pretty big chasms in my racing days. But, never one _that_ big!" Vance added. "We're totally gonna make it! I just put new upgrades into all our mecha beasts!" Kord assured, excited to try the upgrades. As they neared the chasm edge, they revved up their mechas, activating the boosters and leaping over the chasm. Eli was in range of grabbing the Hoverbug when Lucky's eyes started turning red. "Gotcha-" Eli almost had him when Lucky started shorting out, same with the other 4 mechas. The boosters shut down and they started to plummet towards the spikes at the bottom, screaming for their lives.

* * *

**(Intro) (Shane Gang updated with Vance Volt)**

* * *

The Shane Gang continued to fall into the chasm. "I just gave these a complete overhaul!" Kord called. "Did you happen to add any wings?" Eli asked. "Oh, that's a good idea." Kord said in fear. Eli then got an idea. He loaded his new Arachnet into his blaster and fired her at the bottom. She created a web and fired it at the bottom, creating a landing pad for the gang. She slid out of the way as the gang landed on the web.

"You know, I am unimpressed by these so-called 'upgrades." Pronto said rudely. The Hoverbug flew down to them with a concerned look on his face. He landed on Harley's shoulder and nuzzled his cheek. "Well, seems like we got our Hoverbug after all." Harley said, giggling at the tickling from the nuzzling.

* * *

Back at the hideout, Kord was finetuning the mechas with an angry look while Harley was playing with the Hoverbug, now being called Zipper. "Would you just- Stay still, Pronto- I'm trying to get it-" Eli struggled, trying to yank the Arachnet's web off Pronto's butt. Eli yanked it off, tumbling to the floor and slinging Pronto into his hammock. "There! You see?! I told you those Arachnet slugs are a pain in the heiny!" Pronto stated. "Yeah, but Spinner here also saved ours. Without her web, we wouldn't be here." Eli stated, petting his new Arachnet, now named Spinner on her head.

Lucky's engine started to sputter and smoke, making Kord groan. "I question your mechanical attitude, Mr. Cave Troll." Pronto said rudely, while reading a book. "Yeah, you're like a mecha beast guru. What happened?" Eli asked, sitting down to play a video game with Vance. "I don't know what happened!" Kord snapped as Lucky's engine sputtered again. "This wasn't my fault!" "Well, maybe if you and Harley spent less time playing the jokes on Pronto." Pronto said. "We don't waste time pranking you." Kord lied. "Well actually…" Trixie typed in videos of Pronto being pranked.

"_Ah. Cave corn."_ When he touched the basket, he got shocked by Joules as Kord popped up from behind the couch. _"Ah. Comfy."_ He was about to sit down when Harley placed Mucky, Eli's Dirt Urchin slug, on the couch. Pronto yelped and bounced off the couch in pain. _"Ah. Sandwich." _As he took a bite, the whole sandwich exploded in his face. He collapsed as Rocky hopped up, smiling.

Everyone started laughing at Pronto's misfortunes. "Classic." Harley said, wiping a tear from his eye. "I don't know, Pronto. That looks like time well spent to me." Eli said. Pronto just opened his book and buried his face in it, growling. "But, back to the mechas. What caused them to stall on us like that?" Lucky sputtered and smoked again. "I'll take another look under the hood." Kord groaned.

Kord looked inside Lucky's engine. "Turbo connectors check out. Power transmission is optimal. Thermal couplers are up and running. Right now, I'm stumped. My buddy, Grendel's the head engineer at the Western Mech Forge. So, I get service upgrades before anyone. Our mechas should run perfectly." Kord explained. Pronto looked inside the booster pipe, only to get a face full of smoke. "Definitely not supposed to do that." Kord said with a sheepish smile. "Can't we just take them back to the forge? They could probably figure it out." Eli suggested. Kord just glared and stormed over to the fridge. "What'd I say?" Eli asked. "Eli, you know how proud cave trolls can be. He'd rather eat a Toxis slug then admit mechanic's defeat." Trixie explained. "And don't forget, he said he dropped out of his family's business to become a slug slinger." Harley added. Eli looked at Kord upset, worried that he might have hurt his best friend's feelings.

Kord began munching on a sandwich. "Kord, you've got to go face your shame for yourself." Trixie said. "Besides, wouldn't you be like a hero if you brought some big problem to the forge's attention?" Eli asked. "Uh, yeah. Yeah, maybe." Kord said, feeling a little better but still unsure. "Then it is decided! Though the way may be fraught with danger, brave Pronto will guide you to the Western Forge." Pronto boasted before getting blasted by more smoke.

* * *

The Shane Gang arrived at the Western Mech Forge. Eli and Harley looked on in amazement. "Wow! Now that's a factory!" Eli said, impressed. "Biggest I've ever seen in my life." Harley added. "You see? I told you I could lead you to the Western Forge." Pronto stated, feeling proud about himself. "Yeah. Well, there are signs everywhere pointing to this place. Plus, it's like half a mile high." Trixie explained. "Hmm. She does have a point." Harley said, looking up and down at the forge's height. "And yet, I found it." Pronto exaggerated. Trixie just shook her head, letting Pronto have his moment.

Kord walked up to a video lock and pushed a button. "Beast Forge." A voice answered. "Yeah. We're here to see Grendel." Kord explained. The doors opened and a man walked out. "Can I help you?" He asked. "I'm here to see the head engineer." Kord explained. "You're in luck! That would be me. I'm Darius Yorman, the new head engineer." Darius introduced. "What happened to Grendel?" Kord asked. "He's no longer with the company." Darius explained. "He's not?" Kord asked in confusion and suspicion. "Well, can somebody look at our mechas? They nearly killed us." Eli gestured to the now twitching mecha beasts. "Oh, really?" Darius asked.

Inside the forge, Darius' engineers looked over Lucky. "I recalibrated the interlink servos, flushed out the hydraulics, even replaced the pressure seals." Kord explained. "Did you try jiggling the on switch?" Darius joked. Kord looked unamused. "I'm kidding. You say these glitches started yesterday?" Darius asked. "I put in the recall parts last week and did a field diagnostic but-" Kord started to explain. "Wait, wait! You already upgraded?!" Darius asked in shock. "How is this possible?" "I'm the advanced field tester. New parts ship out to me automatically, way before anyone else." Kord explained. "Well, good for you." Darius said, trying not to be suspicious. "Give the mechas a level 3 diagnostic. Top to bottom." He told his engineers. "Yes sir." The engineers said and walked off.

Eli and Harley walked over. "So, how about a tour while we wait?" Eli asked. "Yeah. We'd love to see how this place works." Harley added. "Well-" Darius tried to say until Kord cleared his throat. "Grendel always gave tours." Kord said. "I suppose a quick walkthrough the plant would be okay." Darius nervously said.

Darius toured them through the foundry. "And all of our raw materials are imported from the Eastern Caverns now. Over 400 tons of steel smeltered every month. And not a drop goes to waste." He explained. Pronto, being stupidly curious, tried to press a button on a panel, but Darius slapped it away. "Don't touch that! Unless you want a wave of molten metal dumped on your head." Darius said. "I am happy with my head just the way it is, thank you. Handsome." Pronto boasted as they entered an elevator.

As they went down, they witnessed a claw place a glowing orb into a bull mecha. "Oh, cool! That must be the mecha's heart." Trixie guessed. "Mecha's have hearts?" Harley muttered. "Beating with the same power that flows through our slugs." Darius explained. "Beautiful isn't it? I still don't know how they do it." Everyone looked at Darius with suspicion. "Molecular transference?" Trixie reminded him. Darius felt uncomfortable and laughed nervously. "That was a figure of speech. You're a pistol." He said, dodging a bullet.

"So, the Western Forge builds all of Slugterra's mecha beasts?" Eli asked. "Every single one of them." Darius answered. "Wow! I hope what happened to our mechas doesn't happen to anyone else's." Eli hoped. "Almost makes me relieved that _I_ don't have a mecha beast." Harley admitted with disappointment. "Don't worry, we'll get to the bottom of this." Darius assured. "Without mecha beasts, Slugterra would be without reliable transportation and everyone would have to find other ways to get around, like Dr. Blakk's Slugterran Express. We wouldn't want that now, would we?" Eli and Harley looked at each other. "I'm getting a bad vibe about this Darius guy, bro." Harley whispered. "I know, me too. But we'll keep our eyes open if something happens." Eli planned. Harley and Burpy nodded.

* * *

At Blakk's citadel, Blakk stood outside as the express train arrived. A young man wearing a hazmat suit carried a canister of red water substance. "You're late! The last person who made me wait became dinner for my ghoul slugs." Blakk said, making the man look nervous. "Was there a problem with the shipment?" "Oh, no problem! Except me almost getting killed. I don't ever wanna go back there again, Dr. Blakk. That place is-it's unnatural!" The man explained. Blakk groaned at the man's cowardice complaining. "Where do I find these people? Take it inside!" He ordered. The man took the canister in as Blakk turned to see Nacho standing by the train.

The canister was loaded up into a machine where a bull mecha was standing. "Let's test the potency, shall we?" Blakk asked himself, pushing a button. The red water substance was transferred from the canister into the machine. A needle attachment injected the water into the mecha's heart. "Another fine batch. I'm beginning to think that our possibilities for ghouling may be endless." Blakk said impressed as the mecha was being ghouled.

* * *

Back at the forge, Darius was finishing the Shane Gang's tour. "So, I hope you all feel secure knowing the quality, care and, darn it, love that goes into every mecha beast we build." He said. "That's it? Aren't you gonna show us the final assembly area?" Kord asked in confusion. "Uh, closed for remodeling." Darius lied. "I can show you kids to commissary. All the cave berry shakes you can drink." He offered. "Hoo-hoo! Well, if you are challenging Pronto to break his shake drinking record, I accept." Pronto accepted. Eli stopped him. "There's something about this Darius guy. I don't trust him." Eli said. "Neither do I." Harley agreed. "Bah. Anyone who offers delicious shakes, is a friend to me!" Pronto assured the brothers. Eli and Harley were unsure but continued to follow Darius. "So, what exactly happened to Grendel? He loved this job." Kord asked, curious about Grendel. "You kids ask a lot of questions, don't you?" Darius asked, slightly annoyed with the questions.

Eli, Harley and Pronto stopped noticing a man go into a room with the doors closing. "What's down there?" Eli asked out of curiosity. "Just spare parts." Darius lied. "Hey! Who wants those shakes?" Trixie, Kord and Vance followed him. "Oh! Me, me, me! Me, me, me, me!" Pronto called, waving his arm. Eli took his arm. "Come on guys. I wanna check this out." He said dragging Pronto down the hall. "Aw, but-but the shakes!" Pronto whined. "Oh, come on, Pronto!" Harley said, shoving Pronto down the hall, following Eli. They peeked through the door, looking at a red eyed mammoth mecha. "Hey!" A voice called. The 3 turned to see 3 of the engineers. "What are you doing here?" The one in the middle demanded to know. Pronto noticed a scrap chute next to them. "Quickly! This way!" He called, getting stuck in the chute. Harley gave him a shove, going down himself. Eli followed after, escaping the engineers.

The 3 landed on a conveyer belt loaded with scrap and trash. "If there is one thing Pronto is good at, it is escaping danger." Pronto exaggerated. "Especially when it's escaping into something worse!" Eli panicked, pointing behind Pronto. All the trash and scrap was going through an incinerator. The 3 looked on in shock, and looked over the edge of the belt, seeing nothing but a bottomless drop. They looked at each other as Pronto gave a scream and started running back up the belt, only to be blocked by a big metal cube. Eli and Harley tried to push Pronto up it, but the cube was too tall. Pronto slipped out of their hands and nearly fell off the edge. But Eli grabbed him by his moustache. "The pain is unbearable!" Pronto said in pain. Eli pulled him back onto the belt.

As they neared the incinerator, Pronto lost all hope. "Goodbye, my friends." He said to the brothers. Burpy chirped, getting an idea. "My thoughts exactly, Burpy." Eli said, having the same idea. "What are you doing?!" Pronto asked, thinking Eli went mad. "I know what he's doing." Harley said, knowing his brother. Eli loaded Burpy into his blaster. "Fighting fire with fire. Backdraft!" He called, firing Burpy at the incinerator. Burpy transformed and absorbed the fire from the machine. Eli, Harley and Pronto followed as Burpy blasted a hole into the wall. They hopped through the hole and landed on the floor. Pronto picked up Burpy. "I could kiss you!" He tried to kiss Burpy, but Burpy zipped away, leaving a small flame on his moustache. Pronto shrieked as he patted out the flame. Eli, Harley and Burpy laughed at the mole's pain. "Slug! How you vex me!" Pronto muttered. Burpy just snickered and gave a smile.

The 3 found their way to a room full of bull mechas and one of Blakk's ghouling machines. They snuck in on the railing to get a closer look. One of the engineers was working the controls. "Tech log alpha G recording. Initiating auto-ghouling sequence." He said activating the machine. The machine started ghouling the mechas. "They're ghouling the mecha beasts!" Eli whispered. "That means Blakk is behind this!" Harley added. "Oh, yeah." A voice came from behind them. They turned to see 2 more engineers holding them at blaster point. "Welcome to the future of ghouling. Too bad you won't be around to enjoy it." One engineer said.

Darius led Trixie, Vance and Kord straight to commissary. "Here's the commissary and all the cave berry shakes you can drink." He said, 'til he noticed Eli, Harley and Pronto were gone. "Wait. Where are the other 3?" Suddenly an alarm started to blare. "**Attention! We have intruders on level 8!**" A voice announced. Darius pulled out his own blaster on the 3. "You're not really an engineer, are you?" Trixie asked rhetorically.

The 2 engineers still had Eli, Harley and Pronto at blaster point. "Don't try anything clever." The one engineer warned. "Clever?" Eli chuckled. "Not to worry there. Our partner here doesn't know the meaning of the word." Harley knew what Eli was up to and decided to play along. "In fact, he barely knows the meaning of anything." He added. That made Pronto gasp in anger. "We should've known our 'scout' would lead us into a pickle like this." Eli continued. "Yeah. And the last pickle he led us into, was at the bottom of a jar." Harley joked. "You forget yourselves, sirs." Pronto muttered, feeling insulted. "In fact, I don't think this mole could his butt with both hands!" Eli said. That made Pronto snap, stepping in front of the brothers. "Firstfully: I _do_ know where my butt is!" He snapped, grabbing his butt. "Secondively: you 2 would be wise to choose your next words carefully!" As Pronto ranted, blocking the sight of the engineers, who have no idea what all of that is about, Eli and Harley secretly loaded their blasters with their new Vinedrill slugs: Tangles and Ivy. "A mole can be pushed only so far." Pronto finished. Eli pushed Pronto aside, and he and Harley slung Tangles and Ivy at the engineers. The Vinedrills hit the engineers with their Itchypants attack, making them scratch like crazy. "It gets worse the more you scratch." Eli warned them. Pronto cleared his throat. "I suggest that we run away as calmly as possible." He said, taking off. "For once, I actually agree with him." Harley said, following him, with Eli bringing up the rear. "Oh, that itches!" The engineer said still scratching

"You and Harley are quite the actors, Eli." Pronto said, as they continued running through the halls. "This way!" Pronto called, pointing to the right. Suddenly, he stopped. He started sniffing the air. "Listen. Do you 2 smell that?" He asked. Eli and Harley took a sniff. "Nope." Eli answered. "Me neither." Harley added. "Well, that is because you 2 can hear with your noses like I can." Pronto explained. He sniffed some more. "It's coming from-" He sniffed until he pointed down the hall. "-that a way!" He started sniffing door to door and deducing the smells. "Cleaning supplies. Yeuch! Spoiled meat storage. Axel grease. And…ah, yes." Pronto stopped at the last door. "I think you both may find something of great importance behind that door, my sniffless friends." Eli and Harley looked through the door's window. "Nice work, Pronto." Eli said. Behind the door was Grendel and his troll engineers.

Darius had cuffed Trixie, Kord and Vance and stuck them in a bowl in the foundry. "You just had to barge in here asking your nosey questions! Why couldn't you have just crashed and burned like everyone else is going to?!" Darius asked, completely miffed. "You're working for Blakk, aren't you?" Trixie guessed. "Very good." Darius said, impressed with Trixie's deduction. "Then you've probably also figured that Dr. Blakk doesn't like to leave any loose ends. And that's exactly what you 3 are: a loose _end_. Tour's over!" He pushed a button on his control pad and molten metal started to pour from the cauldrons and into the bowl, surrounding Trixie, Vance and Kord.

* * *

Trixie, Kord and Vance were about to be burned alive, until Eli and Harley burst through the door. Harley fired his new Rammstone, Masher at Darius, knocking him aside and giving Eli the chance to sling Chiller, freezing the molten metal. Eli and Harley ran over to their friends. "Eli! Harley! Oh, you found us just in time buddy boys!" Kord said, happy to see the brothers. Darius quietly slipped away. After Eli uncuffed Trixie, she threw her arms around him and hugged him tight, making Eli blush. "But that's not all we found." Harley said, uncuffing Vance. "That's right." Eli said as Trixie pulled away. "Look who was locked up in the basement." Kord looked up to see Grendel and his engineers come up behind Pronto. "Grendel? Boy am I glad to see you!" Kord said in surprise. "No time for hugs and howdy-doos, youngster. We've got to move fast, before they send those mecha beasts to all of Slugterra!" Grendel said. "Grendel's right. We gotta hustle!" Eli agreed, uncuffing Kord. "Oh, you're much too late for that!" Darius called. Him and 4 of his engineers turning up and blasting ghouls at the group.

Eli, Trixie, Harley, Vance and Kord jumped out of the way. "Grendel! Can your guys buy us some time?" Eli asked. "They'd like nothing better." Grendel said. The trolls gave a battle cry and charged in at the evil engineers, deflecting the ghouls with their tools. Darius noticed the Shane Gang and Grendel heading off. "You! With me!" He called to 2 of his engineers to follow the group.

"Okay! Okay, what's going on in this place?" Kord asked as they ran. "Darius ghouled the mecha beasts!" Eli said. "What?! How can you ghoul a machine?!" Kord asked in shock. "It's the energy inside the heart unit that they get at. I've seen them do it." Grendel explained as they entered the elevator. "So, what's gonna happen to our mechas?" Eli asked, putting Chiller back in his barrel. "First, they start acting funny, then they go completely bonkers, and then PLOOOOM!" Grendel explained. "Funny. My mecha beast never acted like that when it was ghouled last time." Vance said. "Maybe because of all the advanced upgrades Blakk gave your mecha." Harley thought. "Only this time, your mecha got a stronger dose." Vance thought about it. "That could be it." He said. "Those creeps made me look like a fool! Worse, they made me look like a bad mechanic!" Kord ranted. "Uh, then there's the whole exploding thing." "They're going to send those upgrades to everyone." Trixie said. "No, they're not! We're gonna shut this place down! But first, we're gonna save our mechas." Eli assured his team.

Once they got to top level, they got a shocking surprise: all 5 of their mechas were red-eyed and now acting like they've gone feral. "It breaks my heart, Fernando. But I must leave you to your explosive fate." Pronto said with a sort of broken heart. "Maybe not, Pronto. What do you think, Doc?" Eli asked, holding up his Boon Doc. Suddenly a rumbling sound was coming right at them. Darius was riding the ghouled mammoth mecha they saw earlier. "Finish those kids!" He yelled. The others ducked out of the way, while Eli stood his ground. "Trixie! Kord! Vance! I need cover!" Kord slung Bludgeon and Trixie slung Blizzard. Vance pulled out his own blaster and slung a Hop Rock. But the mammoth just swatted the slugs out of the way. "Our slugs aren't even scratching that thing!" Kord said. The big mecha chased after Eli, crashing through the columns.

As Kord and Vance fired slugs at the engineers, Pronto snuck down into the vents. Pronto crept up behind the engineers, who were firing ghouls at Kord and Vance. Pronto readied his blaster and fired his Bubbaleone, Soapy, at the back of the one engineer's head. Soapy inflated himself and floated up with the engineer in her tentacles. The engineer accidently slung an Amperling ghoul at his comrade, shocking him. Kord and Vance gave Pronto a thumbs up. "Ha ha! It's good to be little." Pronto said, ducking back into the vents.

Eli loaded Doc into his blaster. "We've gotta even the odds!" He said. He dodged the mammoth and fired Doc into Lucky's mouth. As Doc was making his way towards Lucky's heart, Eli continued to dodge Darius 'til he got caught in a blast from a ghoul. The mammoth prepared to stomp on Eli, but he jumped out of the way and the shockwave from the stomp caused the floor under the mammoth to give out and break apart, trapping Darius and his mecha.

Eli seemed to be in the clear, but he soon found himself in the face of his beloved mecha beast. "Easy fella. Easy boy!" Eli said, trying to calm his mecha. But Lucky pinned him down and was about to kill him, but Doc reached the heart just in time and cured the wolf mecha. Lucky stepped off of Eli and Doc popped out of the wolf's nose. "Ha! You did it!" Eli said. "Can you do it again?" Doc nodded and hopped off. The others were surrounded by their own mechas. "Easy, Boomer." Trixie said to her mecha. Eli reloaded Doc and fired him at Boomer's mouth, curing the saber's heart. Doc hopped back into Eli's passing hand and was slung again, curing Wyatt and Vance's mecha. Trixie mounted Boomer. "Let's ride!" She said. Doc hopped from the horse to his slinger. Eli reloaded Doc and slung him at Fernando as he got on Lucky.

Darius's mammoth managed to climb out of the hole and Eli charged into the fight. Pronto happily mounted back on Fernando as Doc popped of the ear. An engineer charged at Trixie with a ghouled bull mecha. Trixie fired her Polero, Twirl, at the mecha's legs. She jumped over as the bull slid across the floor. She then dodged a ghoul being shot at her from the left, glaring at the 2 engineers. But Grendel appeared behind them and bashed their heads together, knocking them out. Eli fired slugs back to back at the mammoth, but none of them were even denting it. The mammoth swatted Eli down and stepped on top of him and his mecha. "Eli!" Harley called. Eli looked to find his blaster, but it was out of reach. Darius stepped of the mammoth to the ground. "You fixed your mecha beast. Good for you." He said sarcastically, pointing his blaster at Eli. "This doesn't change a thing! In the end, Dr. Blakk cannot be stopped!" "You're gonna feel pretty embarrassed when we prove you wrong!" Eli disagreed.

Suddenly Pronto came charging in. "Stand aside! Pronto will save you-" He would have said 'til Fernando halted to a stop, sending Pronto flying into a column. Darius just chuckled and looked at the donkey. "What a pile of junk." He said. Suddenly, the tail flag went up and blew smoke in Darius's face. He coughed and walked blindly around, until he felt someone's chest. He looked up and saw Grendel chuckling. "I'm gonna enjoy this, wee man." He said, punching Darius over to another column. Darius then looked up to see Eli, Trixie and Harley standing over him. "Now then, you were saying?" Eli rhetorically asked, aiming his blaster at Darius as more smoke blew in his face.

Pronto gasped. "Fernando! I thought you were cured! EVERYBODY RUN, BEFORE HE EXPLODES!" He panicked. "Actually, that one was me and Harley." Kord said, holding up a button. "We were saving it for a special occasion." Harley added. Pronto started to laugh. "You 2 and your wonderful pranks! Oh, I could kiss you. I could kiss you!" He said 'til the tail flag went up again, making him flinch. Kord threatened to push the button. "I mean-uh-perhaps another time." Pronto said.

Eli held up his Boon Doc. "Doc, you did a really great job out there. Thanks for saving our rides." He said. Doc bowed as if saying 'your welcome.' The Shane Gang cheered at their victory at the forge as Grendel's engineers rounded up Darius and his engineers. Darius just growled at being beaten by a bunch of kids.

In the mecha beast assembly room, Doc had just finished curing the last of the ghouled mecha. "That's the last one." Eli said as Doc hopped from the mecha's ear and into his hand. "Nice work, Doc." Doc yawned in relief at being done at last. Trixie was filming the entire thing on her camera. "Once this story gets out, people are gonna start to realize the truth about Dr. Blakk." She said. "I'm just glad to see that Slugterra has Shanes once again." Grendle said, putting both of his hands on Eli and Harley's shoulders. "Aw. It was Pronto's pleasure to save the day." Pronto exaggerated. Kord slipped next to Eli. "One more stink blast? Just for fun?" He pleaded. "Save it for the ride home." Eli said. "Done and done." Kord accepted.

"What if Blakk tries again?" Eli asked in concern. "My engineers are already on it." Grendel said. "Blakk may have a new trick, but I can assure you it will never find it's way into one of _our_ mechas." He then looked to Harley. "Oh, which reminds me: we have something for you Harley." Harleys eyes widened. "For me?" He asked. Grendel led the gang to a tarp in the room. "Your father had this specially ordered the day before he disappeared. He said it was for you, Harley." He said pulling down the tarp, revealing a red-orange velociraptor mecha. Everyone was wide-eyed. "A raptor mecha?! I thought those models weren't due for years?" Kord said in shock. "We made an exception for Will Shane." Grendel explained. Harley felt like crying. "My own mecha beast. Thank you, Grendel." He said happily. Grendel nodded. "And if you ever need our help, here we'll be." He said.

* * *

At Blakk's citadel, Blakk just got the news from Nacho about the forge. "It appears that our 'improvements' to the mecha beasts have been discovered. Disappointing." He said. "We'll just have to try a little harder next time. Won't we?" He stuck his finger in a cage, scratching the chin of a Thrasher ghoul, who tried to bite the finger. "That's the spirit! They can enjoy this victory, but I'm a patient man. Very patient." He said. "Increase our production! I'm going to be needing more ghouls. A lot more ghouls." Nacho nodded, knowing what Blakk was planning.

_To be continued…_

**There you go, everybody! Harley final has his own mecha beast! A Velociraptor! I was gonna go with another wolf, but one of my reviewers changed my mind. I also colored the raptor red-orange because it's one of my favorite colors. I also felt bad for the gang not getting that Hoverbug slug at the beginning. And who knows who else is in league with Dr. Blakk. Leave a review if you'd like, because more surprises are on the way.**

**Slug Arsenal:**

**Eli Shane: Burpy (Infurnus), Joules (Tazerling), Noodle (Flopper), Banger (Armashelt), Bolo (Polero), Rammer (Rammstone), Rocky (Hop Rock), Chiller (Frostcrawler), Burner (Lavalynx), Suds (Bubbaleone), Goober (Jellyish), Sparky (Grenuke), Doc (Boon Doc), Larry (Lariat), Gust (Tormato), Buzzsaw (Thresher), Digger (Crystalid), Spinner (Arachnet), Mucky (Dirt Urchin), Tangles (Vinedrill)**

**Harley Shane: Matchstick (Flaringo), Squirm (Flopper), Frostbite (Frostcrawler), Webs (Arachnet), Gels (Jellyish), Zipper (Hoverbug), Ivy (Vinedrill), Masher (Rammstone)**

**Trixie Sting: Bluster (Tormato), Blizzard (Frostcrawler), Spider (Arachnet), Twirl (Polero)**

**Kord Zane: Bludgeon (Rammstone), Sploder (Hop Rock)**

**Pronto Geronimo: Stinky (Flatulorhinkus), Slimey (Jellyish), Soapy (Bubbaleone)**


	8. Deadweed

**Here we go, chapter 8! The secret of the ghouls will finally be revealed. Enjoy everybody!**

Chapter 8: Deadweed

The Shane Gang were passing through a creepy nightmarish forest. "There it is." Trixie pointed to a cave. "Deadweed Cavern. I dare you to go near it." She jokingly dared Kord, who just flinched. "Sure, it's a little creepy looking. But, what's the big deal?" Eli asked. "Who knows, Eli. What with everything we've been through." Harley said. "We're passing by! Hold your breath or the evil spirits will get in your nose!" Trixie said as she, Kord and Vance took a breath. "Bah! A foolish superstition. Pronto holds his breath for nothing." Pronto boasted, until he looked at the doors with the skull and crossbones mark on it. "But, maybe just to be safe." He said, taking a breath himself. "Man! Are these guys for real, bro?" Harley asked in amusement. "Yeah. You guys crack us up. We're going in for a closer look." Eli said as he and Harley rode up to the cavern entrance.

The others tried to stop the brothers, but they were still holding their breaths. Knowing they had no choice, the breathed out. "Eli! Harley! Don't be fools!" Pronto called. "Hey Harley, isn't Deadweed where Frightgeist slugs come from?" Eli asked his brother as they hopped off their mechas. "That's what _I_ heard." Harley answered. "Then let's go see if we can get some." Eli said. "Great idea! Come on, guys! Where's your sense of adventure?" Harley asked their team. "This is a place of unspeakable dangers!" Pronto said. "Only thing you guys will find in there is 'ghost sound." Kord said. "Sick owls?" Eli asked, making Harley snicker. "Oh, for the love of-" Pronto said, fed up with Eli and Harley's attitudes. "Eli, Harley, we're talking about ghosts!" "Well, we ain't afraid of no ghosts." Harley said. "That's because they don't exist." Eli said. "True that." Harley agreed, giving his brother a fist bump.

The brothers tugged on the door together, until they got it open. Trixie and Pronto shook with fear. "We'll be in and out before you know it." Eli assured his team. The 4 just stood right where they were. "Fine! You wait here. We'll be back in a minute." He and Harley walked inside. Kord and Vance did not like the idea that Eli and Harley went inside. Suddenly, the brothers started screaming. "Eli! Harley!" The gang called, running inside to help them.

Trixie peered in first. "Eli?" She called. But no reply. The rest followed her inside and they were scared to death. "Eh, I don't like this." Kord said out of fear. "Eli? Harley? Where are you, buddies?" He called. Just then, 2 shadows crept up behind the gang with an ominous orange glow. The gang slowly turned around. "BOO!" Eli and Harley shouted, making the others scream and fall on their butts. "Oh! You! I hate you both so much!" Pronto said very mad. Eli, Harley and Burpy, whose fire was the ominous light, laughed at the effect of their trick. "You should've seen the look on your faces!" Eli said. "Yeah. It was priceless!" Harley added. Everybody just looked at them with unamused faces.

The brothers continued to laugh until a big wind blew the door shut. Burpy relit his head as the gang heard a windy moan. Eli and Harley got a little spooked while their slugs shook in fear from inside their barrels. "Very funny guys." Eli said, thinking it was a joke. "Yeah. Now who're the jokers?" Harley asked, thinking the same thing. Another wind blew in from down the tunnel. "That wasn't us." Trixie said. "Let's get out of here!" Harley called as they ran for the door. They pushed it, but it was locked from the outside.

"It won't budge! We're trapped in here!" Kord said. They heard a bat screech from the tunnel, spooking them. "Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all." Eli said in regret. "Yeah. I think you're right." Harley agreed.

* * *

**(Intro)**

* * *

With the door locked from the outside, The Shane Gang decided to continue on into the cavern. "This is a mistake, I tell you! We should've waited by the door!" Pronto said in fear and protest. "It could be half past forever by the time somebody rescues us." Trixie said. "We'll see if we can find another way back out. And film some ghosts." She held up her camera and started filming. "I'd settle for some people." Eli said. "What exactly happened to the people here, Pronto?" Harley asked. "It used to be a busy goldmine. Then, years ago, abandoned." Pronto explained. "Many ventured in to see why, only to emerge screaming in fear. Or worse, never seen again."

At that moment, the small plants began to light up the cave. "This is great! We can find a new slug and solve a mystery!" Eli said in excitement. "A 2 for 1 deal? I like it!" Harley said. "Either way, it's gonna make some great footage." Trixie said. "Of our gruesome demise!" Pronto cried. "Just make me look heroic when the hungry ghosts come to eat my molenoid brains." "Did you say 'brains?" Eli asked, hearing an S at the end of brain. "Yes, of course. We molenoids have 2 brains. Which makes me twice as scared and twice as tasty!" Pronto explained, now fearing for his life.

Pronto then stepped on a shovel and it threw itself up at Pronto's face, making him scream and ducking for cover, shaking in fear. "Pronto?" Trixie called. "It's just a shovel." She held up the digging tool, making Pronto giggle nervously.

As the gang continued on, fog started to form. "The fog is too thick. I can't see anything. We should turn back, while we still have our brains!" Pronto said, still scared. "Nobody wants to eat your brains, Pronto." Eli assured. "Hey! What's wrong with my brains?!" Pronto asked, feeling insulted. "Is that a trick question?" Harley asked, making a joke. Trixie was still recording when something ran past her. She flinched but shook it off, thinking it was nothing.

"I've got something that'll cut right through this fog." Kord said, putting a scope on his blaster. "Sonar scope." Harley got confused. "Wouldn't sonar be better used underwater?" He asked. "Not like this one. It sends an ultrasonic soundwave that acts like a bat's echolocation." Kord explained. He pointed his blaster out. "All clear. Oh yeah. This baby works like a charm." Suddenly, bats swarmed them. "Are you sure that thing's working?" Eli asked as the bats left. Kord chuckled out of embarrassment. "Sorry. I put it on backwards." He said, flipping the scope around.

Pronto was now fed up. "That's it! I'm leading us to an exit!" He said trying to walk away. Eli grabbed Pronto's shoulder. "Come on, this is fun!" He said. "Yeah. Reminds me of Halloween." Harley said. "What's a Halloween?" Trixie asked. Eli and Harley tried to think of a lie to keep their secret. "It's an old Shane tradition. Once a year we dress up in scary costumes and get candy from the neighbors." Eli explained. "Sounds like extortion." Trixie said. "I don't know. Sounds like fun. I should try this Halloween." Vance said, very interested.

"Wow, Pronto. I've never seen you so scared." Trixie said. "Pronto is not scared! Pronto is-" "Turn back!" A voice whispered in the air. "-terrified!" Pronto finished, shaking in his boots. "Uh, I could be wrong but, that sounded like a voice." Kord said. "Or a sick owl." Harley disagreed. "It was saying 'turn back." Pronto said. "It's the wind! Last time I checked, the wind doesn't say turn back." Eli assured his team. "Yeah. I guess you're right." Kord said. He then put a hardhat on his hand. "Hey Pronto. Look. Another brain-eating ghost." He said jokingly. Pronto was not amused. "Ha-ha! Very funny Mr. Cave troll man." He said. "Turn back!" Kord continued until something came up behind him. It was a ghost!

The ghost shrieked, making the whole gang scream. "Ghosts?" Trixie asked in shock. "I TOLD YOU SO!" Pronto said, now completely scared. "I don't think they wanna be friends." Eli guessed. "Let 'em have it, guys!" He fired Rammer from his blaster, but Rammer just flew right through the ghosts. "What?!" Eli said in surprise. The others fired their loaded slugs, ending with the same results. "We can't hit 'em!" Trixie called. Eli looked around and saw a mining cart. "This way!" He called, heading for the cart. The others followed him to the cart. Eli jumped in. "Everyone, get in!" He said. Harley, Trixie, Pronto and Vance jumped in while Kord gave the cart a push before jumping in himself. "Haha! Eat our dust, ghosts!" Pronto called. Trixie focused her camera on the ghost leader. "I wouldn't believe it if I didn't see it with my own eyes." Eli said. "Well, do you believe it now?" Trixie asked. "Yes." Eli answered.

The cart went down a slope. "Well, at least we lost them." Eli said. But then, the cart drove up another slope and drove back the other way towards the ghosts. Then the cart stopped in the middle. "Oh no." Pronto said as the ghosts closed in. The gang held on to each other for dear life. Suddenly a train whistle blew, making the ghosts leave and leaving the gang confused. "That's right! Run you ghosts! Fear me!" Pronto exaggerated. "Why'd they leave?" Trixie asked. The train whistled again. "Hide! They're coming back!" Pronto yelled. "No, listen!" Eli said, looking down a tunnel. "This is something else."

The gang walked through the tunnel and hid behind some rocks as the whistle blew again. Down at the bottom was a train track. "What is this place?" Eli asked. "Why is there a train track down here?" Harley asked. Just then, Dr. Blakk's train pulled in. "The Slugterran Express? What's it doing all the way down here?" Kord asked. "Did Deadweed ever have a stop?" Harley asked. "Never. This is new. Like really new." Trixie said. Down by the train, a familiar demon man emerged from the train. "Is that who I think it is?" Eli asked. "Dr. Blakk's most feared enforcer: El Diablos Nacho." Pronto whispered.

* * *

Eli looked on as 2 of Blakk's guards walked up to Nacho. "You have one hour. Put your suits on and get to work!" Nacho ordered. The guards nodded in fear and walked off. "What is going on down here?" Eli asked. Trixie turned her camera and noticed the ghosts walking to the train. "They're back." She said sing-songy. Blakk's men, scared out of their suits, ran for their lives. One of them fired a loaded ghoul at the ghosts, but it passed right through. "Turn back!" The ghosts said. Nacho stood his ground. "My answer is still no!" He said, holding up a ghoul barrel, containing a ghouled Frightgeist.

"Is that a Frightgeist slug?" Eli asked, taking notice. "It used to be. That one's been ghouled! Now it's a Nightgeist!" Trixie said. Nacho loaded the ghoul into his blaster and slung it at the ghosts. The ghoul hit the ghost in the middle with its Paranoyd attack. Nacho shouted at the ghosts and sent them running away. "It turns you into a quivering coward until the effects wear off." Trixie explained. "How did _his_ slugs hit while ours went right through?" Eli asked. "Maybe because his slugs were ghouled. Who knows what happens when Blakk changes them?" Trixie guessed. "You mean other than those freaky looks?" Vance asked. Trixie nodded. "Did you hear the ghosts? They told him to turn back too. Turn back from what?" Eli wondered.

"Alright men! We're going in! Open the doors!" Nacho ordered. A goon in the control room pressed a button, opening a gate to another part of the cavern. Nacho hopped on as the train rolled right in. "I need to know what these guys are up to." Eli said, heading for the gate. "Right with you, bro." Harley said, following. "So am I." Kord said. "Me too." Vance followed. "It would safer to stay here. Or run as fast as we can in the opposite direction. That way!" Pronto tried to protest as Trixie ran after the others. "Okay! Why doesn't anyone listen to Pronto?!" He asked, annoyed at the team's disobedience. The gate shut as the gang reached it. "Too late! We're gonna have to get into that control room!" Eli said. "Leave that to me." Kord said.

"Trick 'r' Treat!" Eli called, knocking on the door. The goon walked over to the door. "What's the password?" He asked. "Uh, ouch?" Kord guessed before slamming the door into the goon. "Yep. That worked." Kord said, feeling proud. "Now what?" Vance asked. "Look for anything unusual. And see if you can find a switch to open that tunnel door." Eli said. As everyone looked around, Trixie came across a billboard with pictures of miners. "Take a look at this guy." She said, pointing at the picture at the end. Eli took a look at it. "What's unusual about a miner?" He asked. Trixie opened a replay hologram of the ghosts chasing them. "He's one of the ghosts we fought earlier. It's the same guy!" She explained. "See? He was once alive, now he's a ghost. Case closed!" Pronto said, wanting to leave. "Case not closed, Pronto. We need to find out how the ghosts even became ghosts." Harley said, making Pronto growl.

Eli had a thought. "What if the miners of Deadweed didn't leave? They said 'turn back'. Maybe it was a warning to us to get out of here before what happened to them happens to us." He guessed. The gang put it into thought. "Very good advice. I suggest we follow it." Pronto said. "Not until we figure out what Dr. Blakk is taking from this place." Eli said. Pronto, very upset that no one listens to him, slumped back onto a lever, pushing it back and opening a door. "Nice work, Pronto." Eli said as the gang walked in. "Guys. Check it out." Eli said, looking out the window. The cavern the train entered had a well pumping the same red water substance Blakk used at the forge. "They got a full-grown mining operation going on here." Kord said.

Trixie noticed some goons in hazmat suits loading barrels onto the train's baggage cars. "What is that stuff?" She asked. "You don't bust out the safety suits for nothing. They're handling something dangerous here." Eli guessed. "Probably whatever's pumping from that well over there." Harley added. "Dark Water!" Kord said in realization. "You know what that stuff is?" Eli asked. "I think so, yeah. And it ain't good. The old trolls used to call it Karum-Zanul. Means Dark Water. Our home cavern was about as deep as this one. Sometimes a little bit of that stuff would seep up through the cracks. Strange would happen around it. Unnatural things." Kord explained. "So, what do they want with Dark Water?" Trixie asked. "Guys." Eli said, noticing something.

Nacho walked up to an unloaded barrel holding a cage. The goon opened the barrel. Nacho nodded to the goons. One of them took a scoop of Dark Water into a ladle and poured it into a little tube on the ghouling machine. Nacho took the Hop Rock in the cage and placed it into the barrel. The barrel sunk into the machine, trapping the slug in it. Another goon pushed a button and dark clouds started forming around the poor slug, draining the Dark Water from the tube. Nacho smiled at the progress. The clouds faded, revealing a Hop Jack ghoul. The ghoul fell the floor and came out in a ghoul barrel. Nacho took the barrel and nodded. He then noted to the goons to load the barrel.

"This is how Blakk changes regular into ghouls. He uses Dark Water." Eli said, figuring out Blakk's secret. "With a well like that, Blakk could turn every slug in Slugterra evil." Kord said, making the slugs quiver in fear. The others looked on as Eli began to think. "If we cut off Blakk's supply of Dark Water, we stop him from ghouling slugs. We need to take out that well." Eli said. Burpy chittered. "Burpy's in." He added, knowing his slug. "So am I." Trixie said. "Me too." Kord added. "Right with you bro." Harley said. "Count me in." Vance followed. "No thank you!" Pronto rejected. The others looked at the mole. "Come on, Pronto." Eli said, annoyed with Pronto's cowardice. "Don't you 'come on, Pronto' Pronto. I refuse to let anything unnatural happen to ME!" Pronto said as he turned to leave, only to find Trixie standing in front of him. "You can't leave." She said. "You can do anything if you put your mind to it." Pronto said. Eli and Harley looked at each other, smiled and nodded. "You're right. The odds are not in our favor and yeah, you're afraid of ghosts. But I know something you're not afraid of. You're not afraid to do the right thing." Eli said. "Especially if it means fame and glory." Harley added. That got Pronto thinking. "Yes. Glory. Okay! Pronto is in!" He said, convinced. Eli and Harley fist-bumped. "How did you-" Trixie began to ask. "Reverse psychology. Works everytime." Eli said. Trixie smiled at Eli's smarts. "But we cannot attack. There is a better way." Pronto said looking at the spare hazmat suits.

The Shane Gang dressed up in the hazmat suits. "This isn't gonna work." Kord said, trying to get a feel for the suit. "Yes, it will." Eli assured. "I don't see Nacho around and everybody's busy doing their thing." Trixie looked at the well. "Kord, you said that strange things would happen around this stuff. Like what kind of things?" She asked. "Well, it was like the life was sucked right out of you." Kord guessed in realization. "No wonder they have protective suits! The miners aren't ghosts! They just got exposed to the Dark Water!" Eli said, putting the pieces together. "Maybe if we shut down the well, the miners might un-ghost." Harley thought out loud.

"How do we shut this thing off?" Eli asked. "I say we just blow it up." Trixie suggested. "And flood the cavern? No thanks." Eli said, not wanting to risk a Dark Water flood. "We're just gonna have to get up to the pump and shut it down manually." Kord said. "What about the guards?" Vance asked. "Oh please! All this needs is a little persuasive charisma." Pronto said walking towards the goons, while the others tried to protest. As Pronto walked up to the goons, one of them held up his hand, noting him to stop. "Get out of my way, you ugly pigs!" Pronto shouted, making the goons glare. "Smooth." Kord said in worry. Eli decided to back him up. He ran up to them. "You heard him! Move it, ugly pigs!" He repeated, making the goons confused. "We have a potential leak here! Look what happened to this guy." He lied. Pronto felt insulted. "Unless you wanna go for a swim, get back to the train!" Eli ordered. The goons felt unsure, but they just shrugged it off and did as Eli said.

Eli motioned the others to the well. "You see? Was there ever any doubt?" Pronto asked. Harley just shook his head. "Alright. Let's shut her down." Eli said, looking for a shut off button. "I don't know, man. Easier said than done. It's not like there's an on/off switch." Kord said. "Load up another car. Move! Move!" Nacho barked at the goons, until he noticed the gang near the well controls. He prepped his blaster and moved in. "Come on. Think troll. Think!" Kord chanted to himself. "Think faster! Their going to realize we're up to something eventually." Pronto said in worry. And he was right. He heard a blaster being fired as a Hop Jack flew right at them. They got clear as Nacho rode down the hill, firing another ghoul.

* * *

The Shane Gang ran for cover as Nacho fired another ghoul at them. "Quit standing around! We've got intruders!" He called. The goons armed themselves and fired ghoul after ghoul at the still running gang. Nacho hopped onto a cart load of barrels and fired another ghoul. Eli tried to fire back but dodged the incoming ghoul. One of the goons fired another Hop Jack, while Trixie fired her Bubbaleone, Balloon. Balloon swallowed the ghoul and it exploded in her stomach. Balloon belched out the ghoul as she deflated out of relief. Another goon fired another ghoul at Eli, but he dodged it and fired Joules, shocking the goon with her Tazerbolt. Kord fired his own Tazerling, Jolt, at Nacho, but the demon man shook off the shock from the Tazerbolt.

"Harley! We'll hold them off! You guys figure out how to shut this thing down for good." Eli said taking off his suit's mask. The others snuck their way back to the well. Eli and Harley waited as Nacho walked closer looking for them. Eli popped up and slung Rammer. Nacho slid aside and the slug hit a barrel. Nacho fire another ghoul at the brothers. The brothers jumped out of the way and fired both Chiller and Frostbite, putting Nacho in their Deepfreeze attack. They seemed like they won, but the ice started to crack. Eli loaded Burpy for precaution. Nacho broke free of the ice and fired the Nightgeist at the brothers. It hit them with Paranoyd before they had a chance to fire back. "Eli and Harley just got hit by a Nightgeist!" Kord said in worry.

When the brothers came to, the Paranoyd attack started to take effect. They started screaming in fear as the Nightgeist hopped towards them. "It's after me! Make it stop!" Eli screamed as he ran into the tunnels. "Eli! Wait for me!" Harley screamed, following his brother. Nacho reloaded his ghoul and walked after them. The rest of the gang were held up by 3 goons. "This will flush them out." Pronto said loading a slug. The goons fired their ghouls at the barrel Pronto hid behind. Pronto kicked the barrel away and slung his Rammstone, Bruiser, at the pipes behind them. Bruiser broke the chain holding the pipes and they toppled down, sending the goons running for the train. "That's right! You better run ack to your mother and tell her that Pronto sent you!" Pronto taunted.

* * *

In the mine tunnels, Eli and Harley were still quivering from the Paranoyd attack. But soon enough, the effects wore off. "That thing scared the snot outta me!" Eli said. "Me too. I nearly wet myself." Harley added. "We gotta get back to the team." Eli said. "Good call." Harley agreed. As they made their way down the tunnel, something ran behind them. They jolted around to see, but there was nothing. "The effects of that ghouled Frightgeist slug must still be playing on our nerves." Eli guessed. "Maybe. I'm still a little shaky from that." Harley admitted.

Suddenly, a slight moaning came from the tunnel and 2 little ghosts appeared, making Eli and Harley stop in their tracks. "I don't like the sound of that, guys." Eli said, unloading the barrel from his blaster. "Neither do I." Harley said. Burpy growled and hopped in the barrel, which Eli loaded back into his blaster. Harley loaded Matchstick's barrel in his blaster. They aimed at the 2 little ghosts, until the ghosts dropped their trick, revealing a couple of Frightgeist slugs. "Whoa!" Eli said impressed. "You 2 must be Frightgeist slugs. That was quite the trick you guys just pulled." He said, kneeling down to the slugs. "Me and Harley could use guys like you on our team." He and Harley held out their hands to them and the slugs hopped into them. "Think I'll call you Spooker." Eli said. "And you Frights." Harley said. The Frightgeists smiled.

Just then, the Shane brothers got surrounded by the miner ghosts. "Oh boy!" Eli said, putting Spooker on his shoulder before getting up. Harley did the same with Frights. "Wait! Wait! We're on the same side!" Eli said, trying to reason with the ghosts. "All of this started when Blakk dug that Dark Water well, Didn't it?" Harley asked. "All this time, you were just warning people to stay away so the same thing wouldn't happen to them." Eli guessed. "My brother, friends and I are trying to put an end to all this. Will you help us fight?" He asked. The ghosts looked at each other then back to the brothers.

* * *

Back at the slug fight, Blakk's goons were overwhelming Trixie and the others, firing ghoul after ghoul. Kord slung his Polero, Trip, at the goons' legs, tripping them. "We need to find another way to shut this place down." He said as Trixie fired another slug. "We're completely outnumbered. Where are Eli and Harley?!" Pronto asked as the goons closed in on them.

* * *

Nacho walked through the tunnel, still looking for the brothers. "Where are you, Eli and Harley Shane?" He called. Eli hid behind some barrels. "Bring the heat, Burpy. Firewall!" He called as he fired Burpy from his blaster, creating a firewall in front of Nacho. "You wanna fight, Nacho? Well, come and find me!" Eli called, taking off down another tunnel. Nacho looked around and took off down the left tunnel, only to run into the ghosts. "You do not frighten me." He stated. "No?" Asked Eli's voice as the ghosts stepped aside for the Shane brothers. "Well, we can change all that." He said holding up his blaster, loaded with Spooker. Nacho just growled as Eli slung Spooker at Nacho, hitting the demon man with Frightningrod. "No!" Nacho yelled as the attack took effect, getting scared of the ghosts. Eli and Harley watched as Nacho screamed and ran out of the tunnel.

As the goons closed in on the gang, Nacho came running out of the tunnel, still screaming. "To the train!" He yelled out of fear. The gang looked confused until the heard Eli and Harley yelling and saw them charging out of the tunnel with the miners. Nacho made it to the train as the Frightningrod's effects slowly started to wear off. He looked back at the brothers and the ghosts before climbing onto the barrel car. "Take us out of here! NOW!" He barked. The other goons made it back to the train as it started to leave.

Eli, Harley and the miners stopped to notice the train leaving. "Stop that train!" Eli ordered. "Too late! Look!" Harley said, pointing at Nacho. Nacho drew his blaster and fired a Hop Jack at the control room, destroying it completely. The train made it out as the tunnel caved in. "That ghoul took out the control room! And that took out all of the fail safes!" Kord said. "This thing's gonna blow!" Trixie added. Everybody took cover as the well blew up. And Dark Water started spurting from the pipe. "WE NEED TO PLUG THAT PIPE!" Eli called.

Kord looked around for something to plug the pipe with and noticed Pronto stuck in another pipe. Kord had an idea and pulled his mole friend free. "You're perfect!" He said, holding up the molenoid. "Of course I am!" Pronto said not understanding what Kord said. "Wait. Perfect for what?" Kord sat Pronto on the pipe, causing a rumbling noise from the pipe being blocked. Pronto braced himself for whatever came next. But the rumbling stopped, which meant the Dark Water stopped flowing from the pipe. "Once again Pronto has saved the day!" Pronto boasted.

A while later, Kord was welding a lid onto the pipe, permanently sealing the well. "Alright, guys. That should just about do it. This well is sealed up for good." He said, finishing up. "And we'll make sure it stays that way." The one miner actually said. "Hey. Look!" Eli said, pointing at the miner. The miner looked at his hand. "The effects! They're wearing off!" He said. The same thing happened to the other miners. They cheered for joy as Pronto looked on. "There! You see? What did I tell you? There's no such thing as ghosts." He said, taking credit for what Eli and Harley said. "You told us nothing whatever. Go on! Dance a little jig for us. You've once again taken credit for something my brother and I said." Harley accused. "I did not!" Pronto shouted. "You did too!" Harley shouted right back. Eli shook his head in amusement and Burpy just chittered in embarrassment.

"What happened here?" Eli asked. "Well, it's hard to explain, but this place used to be a goldmine." The miner explained. "Then Blakk Industries bought the company and the business changed. Blakk made us dig the well. Had no idea what it was for until it was too late. We've been trying to stop them. But with those ghoul slugs and our weakened state, we were just no match. If it weren't for you and your team, I'm not sure what would've become of us. What brought you here anyway?" He asked. "This guy wanted to go on a slug hunt." Trixie said, sliding next to Eli, making him blush. "For what? One of these?" The miner asked, holding out a Frightgeist slug. "Take one. You can all have one. Call it a thank-you gift for helping us." Trixie took the slug and started petting it. "Thanks. But me and Harley already have our own." Eli said, bringing out Spooker.

Eli began to think. "What's wrong, Eli?" Trixie asked, worried about Eli. "This wasn't exactly a victory. Sure, we shut down the well, but Blakk's men got away with a ton of Dark Water. Who knows how much he's already stockpiled?" Eli explained. "And if he somehow made a deal with whatever's down in the Deep Caverns, no telling what else he could do."

* * *

Eli was right. At Blakk's citadel, Blakk and Nacho had tons of barrels loaded with Dark Water stockpiled. As they walked into Blakk's throne room, Nacho looked around and shut the doors.

**Finally done! Sorry I couldn't continue writing any sooner. Laptop problems. But I was lucky I didn't lose any of my progress. I may have to switch to a new laptop soon, but everything's all good for now.**

**Slug Arsenal:**

**Eli Shane: Burpy (Infurnus), Joules (Tazerling), Noodle (Flopper), Banger (Armashelt), Bolo (Polero), Rammer (Rammstone), Rocky (Hop Rock), Chiller (Frostcrawler), Burner (Lavalynx), Suds (Bubbaleone), Goober (Jellyish), Sparky (Grenuke), Doc (Boon Doc), Larry (Lariat), Gust (Tormato), Buzzsaw (Thresher), Digger (Crystalid), Spinner (Arachnet), Mucky (Dirt Urchin), Tangles (Vinedrill), Spooker (Frightgeist)**

**Harley Shane: Matchstick (Flaringo), Squirm (Flopper), Frostbite (Frostcrawler), Webs (Arachnet), Gels (Jellyish), Zipper (Hoverbug), Ivy (Vinedrill), Masher (Rammstone), Frights (Frightgeist)**

**Trixie Sting: Bluster (Tormato), Blizzard (Frostcrawler), Spider (Arachnet), Twirl (Polero), Balloon (Bubbaleone)**

**Kord Zane: Bludgeon (Rammstone), Sploder (Hop Rock), Jolt (Tazerling), Trip (Polero)**

**Pronto Geronimo: Stinky (Flatulorhinkus), Slimey (Jellyish), Soapy (Bubbaleone), Bruiser (Rammstone)**


	9. Shadows & Light

**Here we go! Chapter 9 is up and running!**

Chapter 9: Shadows and Light

A group of slingers were being attacked by a couple of Dr. Blakk's enforcers, Locke and Load. The slingers took cover behind their mechas. Locke fired a Grimmstone ghoul, grazing one of the slingers. "Locke! And Load!" The 2 shouted, firing 2 Hop Jacks at the same time, demolishing one of the mechas. 2 of the slingers continued firing at Locke and Load, while the other fired a Phosporo slug into the sky, using Arcalyte. "Fireworks?" Locke asked, chuckling at the seemingly pointless shot. "Yeah! Fireworks that go boom!" Load added.

Suddenly, Chiller came out of nowhere, zipping between the 2. "Hey! Where'd that come from?" Locke asked. They looked at a cliff to see Eli and his gang emerge on the cliff. "The Shane Gang!" Load said in surprise. "Good, you remember us." Eli called. "So, I'm pretty sure you can guess what'll happen next." He fired Rocky from his blaster at the 2, just blasting the ground behind them. Locke and Load charged, firing their ghouls at the Shane Gang. Kord fired Bludgeon, punching Locke off his mecha. Locke looked to see the slug chittering at him before hopping off. Locke got back up and fired a Terrarix while Load fired another Hop Jack. The Terrarix dug a hole and the Hop Jack followed. The gang stopped as the Terrarix dug its way towards them. Then the Hop Jack exploded from underneath them, sending the gang flying and slamming onto the ground. Eli struggled, but went unconscious. Lock and Load chuckled at their progress.

* * *

**(Intro)**

* * *

"You see that, Load?" Locke asked. "Shane Gang's no match for what we got." "You got that right! They blowed up good!" Load agreed. "Real good." Locke quietly repeated. Eli woke up and fired Burpy, traping the 2 in a Flamespire. "They're on their heels! Now's your chance to push them over!" Eli called to the other slingers, who fired their slugs at Locke and Load. "I suggest an honorable retreat!" Locke said. "No! Run away!" Load yelled, not knowing it was the same thing his brother said. Load rode away on his mecha while Locke fired a Hop Jack at the ground, creating a smoke cloud to cover their escape.

When they were gone, the Shane Gang went to look over the other slingers. Kord blew some smoke from his blaster. Pronto attempted to do the same, but his breath couldn't reach. So, he tapped Kord's shoulder and had him blow out the smoke. Burpy hopped back to Eli, who looked at the slingers. They had canisters filled with Fandango slugs. "What're you doing with all of these Fandango slugs?" He asked. "I know that they have tons of slug energy, but aren't they pretty useless in a fight?" Kord added, walking over. "That slug energy is precisely why we need them. They aren't for dueling. We're taking them to Bullseye Cavern" The slinger named Rubin Evern explained.

"Something is forcing the native slugs to abandon the place, turning it into a dead zone. We need an infusion of Fandango slug energy to attract the native slugs back." He continued. "Oh! So, you're hoping the Fandangos will jumpstart the cavern and bring it back to life." Trixie guessed, looking over the slugs. "Everytime we try to deliver the slugs, those 2 shut us down!" Rubin said. "Locke and Load. They work for Dr. Blakk." Eli revealed. "They've blown up nearly every passage in and out of Bullseye through the west. And now our mechas are trashed. We'll never make it there in time." Rubin said in pity. "We'll take them for you." Harley offered. "What? We will?!" Pronto gasped in shock, dropping his blaster. Trixie, Kord and Vance glared at the molenoid. "I mean, yes! We will." Pronto corrected himself. "So, it's true. You 2 really are Will Shane's kids." Rubin guessed. "Well, we need a Shane or 2 right now. If we don't get these slugs to Bullseye, we'll lose it for good." He said as his friends loaded the canisters onto the cart. "No pressure." Eli assured. "We do things like this all the time." Harley added. "Hmmm. You're good kids, Eli and Harley Shane." Rubin said. "You kids ever need help, we'll be there." "Well, let's load 'em up!" Eli said.

* * *

Locke and Load looked to see that the Shane Gang had the cart of Fandangos. "What?! The Shane Gang's taking the load to Bullseye?!" Locke asked in shock. "That's not good, is it? You think we should call the boss?" Load asked without thinking. "Did you get knocked in the head again? Not a word to Blakk about this. If he finds out, he'll send reinforcements! This is_ our_ job." Locke explained to his dimwitted brother. "We'll take care of them ourselves and collect us a huge reward! Just think of what we could do with all that money, Load!" That made Load chuckle. "We could buy us a lot of gold!" He said without thinking, making Locke groan.

* * *

The Shane Gang made their way through a dark cavern. "Okay. Break it down for us again, Trix. The caverns run on slug energy." Eli guessed. "Didn't you 2 learn this in school like the rest of us?" Trixie asked, confused at Eli and Harley's lack of Slugterra knowledge. "Actually, Dad kinda home schooled us." Eli lied. "Right." Trixie said, buying Eli's fib. "Well, the energy that makes all life possible is strongest in the slugs." She explained. "Wherever they are, things live. Without them-" "Right. Dead zone." Eli finished. "I just don't get why Blakk would wanna let that happen to an entire cavern." Harley thought the same thing. 'The slugs wouldn't leave Bullseye without a good reason. Unless, Blakk did something to frighten them away from Bullseye.'

As Harley continued to think, rock pillars started to collapse around the gang. They looked up to see Locke and Load firing Hop Jacks at the surrounding pillars. "They're trying to box us in!" Eli said. "Pronto! Lead us back out!" Pronto looked behind them, only to see that their exit was blocked. "I believe they have accomplished their diabolical goal! I curse their success!" He said. "Even the dumbest minds in Slugterra get it right once in a while." Vance stated. Eli saw an opening. "This way! It's our only chance!" He called to his team. They rode off, avoiding the falling rocks. One which was falling towards Pronto.

Locke and Load cackled at their progress. "We done crushed them Shanes!" Load boasted. "Well, little brother, best we get down there and make sure. They're a crafty bunch." Locke said. The 2 started to make their way down to the ground.

* * *

The Shane Gang managed to survive the rocks. "Well, that was fun. And when I say fun I mean, oh my head!" Kord groaned. "You'd think a cave troll's head would be as hard as a rock. Boy, am I wrong." Harley said snickering. "We're alive. That's good, right?" Eli asked before turning to Pronto. "Pronto, where are we?" He asked. "Hmm. Let me see." Pronto said, pulling out a map. "Hmm, let's see. Say, Burpy. Could you lend Pronto some light, please?" Pronto asked holding out his hand. Burpy chittered and hopped to the mole's hand, lighting his head. "Thank you. Now, here we go." Pronto looked at the map. "We are completely cut off from our destination." He announced. "Would you like me to be more specific?" Trixie walked up. "Is there another path?" She asked. "Nope." Pronto answered. "A secret passage?" Kord asked. "Nope." Pronto repeated. "Anything?!" Eli asked. "Well-" Pronto thought but stopped himself. "Nope." "Aha! I heard a 'well'. What is it Pronto?" Eli asked, knowing Pronto was hiding something. Pronto started sweating. Hard to tell if it was from nerves or Burpy's heat. "Well, maybe there is a route we could take." He explained, making the others smile. "But we'd be fools to do so!" He warned. "Usually when you say things like that, it ends up being fun." Eli stated. "Oh no, no, no, no, no, no! Not this time!" Pronto said, looking back at the map. "The only other way to Bullseye is a path fraught with danger! It's dark, long, twisty and cuts right through the territory of the Shadow Clan!" He revealed.

Eli just put on a big smile. "Guys?" He asked looking at his team. Kord nodded to Trixie, knowing their answer. Harley and Vance also gave a nod, giving their answer. Pronto went wide-eyed. "No, no, no! You're not actually considering-" He started to guess, looking at the smiles they were forming. "EEEEEE! You are!" He finished before fainting.

As they started to continue, Locke and Load got through the rock pile behind them. "Aw! We didn't get 'em all blown up!" Load whined. "Told you they were crafty." Locke gloated. "Well, if they're so crafty, why're they going that way? That's Shadow Clan territory." Load pointed out. "We gonna follow?" He asked. "I'd rather face Blakk than what's down that passage." Locke responded. "They'll never make it through. But we should be prepared. Just in case." He said, making a plan.

* * *

The Shane Gang continued through, entering the Shadow Clan territory. "The Dark Periphery. Home of the Shadow Clan." Kord announced. "This is the opportunity of a life time." Trixie said, trying to lighten the mood. Eli looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "I mean, no one has ever managed to capture the Shadow Clan on film. At least no whose managed to live." Trixie explained. Harley noticed Pronto looking a more nervous than usual. "You seem unusually quiet there, Pronto." He stated. "Pronto is not quiet! Pronto is speechless! The Shadow Clan are the most evil things in Slugterra and we're strolling into their backyard!" Pronto explained.

Eli turned to Pronto. "I've seen the Shadow Clan before. Twice. Remember?" He said. "They're scary sure, but they can't be that bad. Maybe they're just misunderstood." That made everyone's eyes widen. "What?!" Pronto asked in shock. 'The Shadow Clan? Misunderstood? By us?' Trixie thought. 'Maybe Eli has a point.' "You said it yourself. We're just skirting through the edge of their territory. They probably won't even know we're here." Boy, was Eli wrong. 2 Shadow Clan scouts started stalking them.

Pronto suddenly got a familiar smell in the air. "I hear something." He whispered. "Everyone, against the rock!" The gang moved their mechas out of sight. Eli and Harley looked at them. "Is this really necessary?" Eli asked. Trixie shushed him and pointed up. Eli and Harley looked to see 2 more Shadow Clan scouts climbing on the rocks. "Okay. Yes, it is." Eli said, moving up against the wall as the scouts drew closer.

The scouts looked around. The gang kept hidden. "Nobody move! The Shadow Clan have excellent vision, a keen sense of smell and a penchant for scared molenoids to their early deaths!" Pronto explained. Kord smelled himself on the sense of smell part. Trixie peeked up from the rock, not seeing the scouts. "I don't see them." She said. "We were lucky. Let's count our blessings and turn back." Pronto suggested. "We can't turn back!" Eli snapped. "Bullseye needs those slugs." "Eli's right." Harley added. "Fine! The sooner we're there, the sooner, we're out of this wretched place." Pronto said, giving in and continuing on.

The scouts from earlier closed in on them. "Dad used to tell us about the Shadow Clan." Eli said. "What exactly did your dad tell you?" Trixie asked. "They can communicate with slugs, they've been in Slugterra longer than any other species and uh…I forget the third thing." Harley said. Trixie suddenly took notice on movement behind them. "Uh, guys? I don't wanna freak you out, but there's something moving behind us." She said. They looked back, seeing the scouts. "I thought we lost them." Eli said out of disappointment. "I guess the Shadow Clan are good trackers like molenoids." Harley said. "I will take that as a compliment." Pronto said. "But I know several molenoid tracking tricks that should confuse them."

They headed up a slope. Pronto took notice at the ground. "Hmm. Dry rock. No tracks for them to follow." He then dabbed his finger on his tongue and held it in the air. "And we are downwind. No scent for them to pick up." He then took the lead. "Follow my lead. How fortunate you are to be in the company of the greatest tracker in all of Slugterra." He boasted. Eli looked back, seeing that the scouts were still following them. "Guys, we gotta step on it!" He said. Pronto looked back. "What? Preposterous!" He said, knowing that his 'skills' never failed him before. "Okay. Time for another incredible molenoid skill." "And what would that be exactly?" Harley asked. "ESCAPE!" Pronto answered, riding downhill. "Well, you heard the mole." Harley called, following Pronto. The others joined in afterwards. Kord looked back to see the scouts chasing them. "They're on our 6!" He called. The scouts continued the chase, not noticing that the gang ducked down beside the next slope. Pronto peaked up. "There. You see? My evasive tactics were a grand success." He said sitting back into his seat. "But praise for Pronto can wait until we get to Bullseye. If I never see another Shadow Clan again, it will be too soon." Trixie just shook her head until she heard a screech. She peaked over the rock. "Uh, guys?" She said. The others gathered to see more Shadow Clan assembling near a rock. "There's more of them. We should get a closer look." Eli suggested, taking off. Kord, Harley and Trixie followed. "Are you kidding?!" Pronto asked in a whisper, seeing that Eli was not stopping. "You're not kidding. You know what? You should kid more."

The Shadow Clan gathered around the stone, where a Shadow Clan with some kind of crown, probably their chief, was sitting. The chief screeched as more Shadow Clan emerged from the shadows. Eli, Trixie, Harley and Kord were close by, with Trixie filming everything. "Okay. You got your closer look. We better scram." Kord said to Eli. "Look!" Eli pointing out. "The path ahead is too exposed. If we move now, everyone down there is gonna see us." He explained. "We need some kind of distraction." Just then, a Rammstone and Dirt Urchin hopped from the chief's tail to his hands. "I don't like the looks of this." Kord said. "Right there with you." Harley agreed. The chief gave a big screech and the slugs started glowing green. The other Shadow Clan did the same with their slugs. "They're distracted! Now's our chance!" Eli said, making their way back to their mechas.

As the gang made their way up the slope, the Shadow Clan's screeching started making the Fandangos in the cart glow too. Pronto took notice. "Hey! Stop that you miserable creatures! You'll give us away!" He whispered. "Guys. What's gotten into you?" Eli asked. "It's gotta be the Shadow Clan. Those screeches must've triggered an energy surge in the slugs." Harley deduced. Eli looked down. The chief pointed at them and screeched. "RUN!" Eli called. The gang rode as fast as their mechas could go, with the Shadow Clan hot on their tails. "It's like a big giant sign pointing right at us!" Trixie said, noting the glow. "And I am the all-you-can-eat buffet!" Pronto said out of fear. The Shadow Clan started slinging Hop Rocks at the gang.

"Pronto! You, Trixie and Vance keep going with those slugs. Kord, Harley and I will buy you some time." Eli said, firing Rocky at one of the Shadow Clan, but it phased back and forth before Rocky could even hit it. Eli went wide eyed at what just happened. Kord slung his Arachnet, Flycatcher, creating a web to block the Shadow Clan. But they phased through the shadows to the other side. "How are they doing that?!" Kord asked in shock. "Uh, Harley? Something you want to say?" Eli asked his brother. "Yeah. That third thing? I just remembered: The Shadow Clan can phase through the shadows to get to anywhere in Slugterra. Hence the name." Harley explained.

The gang made their way into a tunnel as another Hop Rock was slung into a pillar. Eli loaded Burner and slung him, creating a lava stream to block off the Shadow Clan. But the Shadow Clan just started climbing on the tunnel roof. The gang kept moving to the tunnel exit, only to find the Shadow Clan just outside it, making them skid to a stop. Soon, the Shadow Clan surrounded them as the glow from the Fandangos died down. "They will never take me alive!" Pronto said, pulling out his blaster. "If this is to be my fate, then Pronto will go out in a blaze of-" He noticed the others putting their hands up in surrender. "Surrender?!" Pronto groaned. "Look on the bright side. No ones ever been this close to the Shadow Clan." Eli said. One of the Shadow Clan motioned the gang to follow them.

As the gang followed the Shadow Clan, Trixie filmed the Shadow Clan from close up. One of them growled at her. "Just checking the lens cap." She said nervously. Pronto quivered in fear. Kord and Vance just glared at the Shadow Clan from all sides. The Shadow Clan brought them to the presence of their chief, who was walking towards Eli and Harley. "We're sorry we had to cross through your territory, but we have a good reason." Eli apologized. "If we don't get these slugs to Bullseye Cavern, then the cavern will go dark. It'll die!" Trixie explained as the chief walked to the back of the cart. He looked inside to see the containers of slugs. "HEY!" Eli shouted, getting the chief's attention. "Those aren't yours! Don't you understand me at all?! Bullseye Cavern needs these slugs!" He explained again. "He's right! The cavern's about to become a dead zone!" Harley added, backing his brother up. The chief just looked at the brothers and screeched at them.

Burpy, knowing what to do, hopped out of his barrel and ignited himself from on top of a rock, getting everyone's attention. Burpy started chittering and growling at the Shadow Clan. The chief's eyes widened, understanding what the slug was saying. The gang looked at each other confused. Burpy hopped down from the rock, still growling and chittering, making the Shadow Clan back away as if they were afraid. When Burpy finished, the chief growled and pointed the way to Bullseye, with the rest of the Shadow Clan stepping aside. "I think they're letting us go." Kord guessed. "Lucky for them." Pronto boasted. "Thank you." Eli said to the chief before he and Harley walked back to their mechas. Harley turned back to the chief. "Before I go, 2 words for you: Breath Mint." He muttered before hurrying back to his mecha.

As the gang slowly walked through, Eli and Harley sped ahead to pick up Burpy. "Burpy, what'd you say to them?" He asked. Burpy looked at the brothers and chittered. Harley looked at Burpy as if he understood. "I think Burpy explained our predicament." He guessed as Burpy hopped back up to Eli's shoulder. "Well, if that's what you said, good job." Eli said to his best slug as the gang exited the Dark Periphery.

In no time, the gang reached Bullseye Cavern. Well, what's left of it at least. "Okay. Bullseye Cavern. You may now begin singing my praises." Pronto boasted. 'Dream on.' Harley thought as he shook his head and Trixie rolled her eyes. Eli hopped off Lucky and looked around. "Now what?" He asked. "Release the Fandangos. They'll find somewhere to roost and then this will all be over." Trixie explained as Kord made his way to the back of the cart. Eli continued to look at the soon to be dead cavern as Kord brought out the containers. He opened them and released the slugs. "There you go little fellas. Don't be shy." He said to the slugs. They made their way into the cavern. Everybody looked on with smiles. Trixie, awaiting to see the magic happen, took Eli's hand into hers. Eli noticed, but smiled and intertwined his fingers with hers.

The Fandangos were halfway into the cavern, until they sensed something nearby, got scared and turned around hopping away. "That's not supposed to happen, is it?" Eli asked. "No. They definitely don't like something in here." Trixie said. "Maybe we're too late!" Kord said in worry as the slugs hopped to the exit. "Hey! Where're you guys going?!" Eli called to the slugs. Burpy, Joules and Doc started to quiver from in their barrels, sensing the same thing. Burpy tried to hop out, but Eli caught him. "Stay with me, Burpy." Eli said. Harley noticed the same thing as Frostbite and Zipper tried to leave too. "Whoa, whoa, whoa! What's wrong with you guys?" He asked, grabbing his slugs. "Keep your slugs close!" Eli called to his team. "Whatever this is, it's affecting them too!" Suddenly an explosion came from the walls as Locke and Load came out from their newly made tunnel.

* * *

"Look at that! A new path into Bullseye Cavern." Locke said. "We blowed it up good!" Load chuckled until he saw the gang. "Shane Gang? They made it?!" This made Locke chuckle. "It don't matter! They're too late!" He said, making Eli, Harley and Kord glare. "The cavern's dead and their slugs are buggin' out!" "I'll be with you guys in a second." Eli said, turning to his team. "We can still save this cavern! Pronto! Vance! I need you guys to round up the Fandango slugs!" "It would be my pleasure." Pronto said, taking off after the slugs. "We're on it." Vance followed. "Trixie! Harley! Maybe you 2 can figure out what's making them leave?" "On it!" Trixie said, taking off. "You got it, bro!" Harley followed. "Kord?" "Say no more." Kord said pounding his fist into his hand. Eli turned back to Locke and Load. "Now, I think it's time we settled this." He said. "You 2 wanna duel us?" Locke asked in disbelief. "Unless you wanna hug it out instead." Eli joked. That made Locke and Load chuckle. "You can't win!" Locke said. "And not only that, but you're gonna lose." Load added as he and his brother aimed their blasters at Eli and Kord.

Eli quick drew and fired Chiller as Locke and Load fired their Hop Jacks. Chiller hit the rock wall behind them, creating an ice wall. Kord dodged one of the Hop Jacks and fired Bludgeon. Bludgeon hit the ice wall, creating an avalanche of falling ice that nearly crushed Locke and Load. They jumped down out of the way and fired Greneaters at Eli and Kord's feet. As the fuses on their tails lit, Eli and Kord ran to get out of blast range. "Ghouled Grenuke slugs!" Eli called as the ghouls exploded. Eli and Kord ducked behind a rock.

"Stop in the name of Pronto and Vance!" Pronto called as he and Vance chased after the Fandango slugs. Pronto jumped at one, only to get a mouthful of rocks. Vance checked on him as Pronto spat out the rock clumps. "You okay?" Vance asked. "I'm okay." Pronto answered. They looked out to the still hopping Fandangos. "So, that's the way it's going to be, huh?" Pronto asked, liking a challenge.

Locke fired another Hop Jack at the rock Eli and Kord were covering behind. Eli took Joules' barrel from his belt. Joules looked very frightened. "I know you don't like it here Joules, but please stick around, okay?" Eli pleaded with his Tazerling. Joules sparked her head, ready to fight. Eli loaded her into his blaster and fired her. Joules fired her Tazerbolt at Locke and Load, shocking them both.

Pronto and Vance continued the chase after the slugs. "Run all you want! Pronto can do this all day." Pronto called, him and Vance getting tired from the chasing. "You're only tiring yourselves out." He panted out. "Actually, we're tiring ourselves out." Vance corrected. "I know that! Don't let _them_ know that." Pronto said before continuing on after the slugs.

Trixie and Harley scoped around, avoiding the ghouls Locke and Load were firing. The 2 ducked behind a pillar. "What exactly are we looking for?!" Trixie asked, about ready to give up. "I don't know! Anything the Fandangos might be scared of!" Harley suggested. They looked over to Pronto and Vance still chasing the Fandangos. "The Fandango slugs!" Trixie said, getting an idea and running over to them. "How are the Fandangos gonna-" Harley thought for a minute. "Oh, I get it!" He ran over to join her.

Pronto and Vance were now getting extremely tired. They were panting really hard and were about to collapse. Trixie and Harley picked up a Fandango slug that lingered at Pronto and Vance's unfortunates and headed off. Pronto was shocked. "How did you do that?!" He called. He noticed another Fandango hopping away from him. He pounced for it but missed. "Curse you beasts." He groaned.

Trixie looked at the poor slug. "I know you wanna get out of here. But we have an idea and we need your help." She said. The slug just shook in fear. "Let's hope this works." Harley said as he and Trixie walked around, holding out the slug, until they stopped as they pointed the slug at a target like formation. "You don't like going this way, do you?" Trixie asked the still shaking slug, looking at the target. "It's gotta be-" Harley thought the same thing as Trixie dropped the slug and it hopped away. "Bullseye!" They said together, running towards the target. They looked down a hole to see the last thing they would've expected, a tub full of Dark Water. "Whoa! So that explains it!" Trixie said. "Dark Water!" Harley added. "We've gotta get Eli!" Trixie said. Harley nodded and they ran to get Eli.

Eli and Kord were still avoiding Locke and Load's ghouls from Hop Jacks to Greneaters. Eli and Kord were soon pushed into rocky cover. Locke and Load chuckled at the sight. "I'm almost out of slugs!" Eli said. "Me too! And if they get chased away like the rest of them, we're gonna have a bigger problem!" Kord said as Eli loaded another slug. "No slugs at all!" Eli finished. Unfortunately, their cover was destroyed by Locke and Load. They struggled from the ground as Locke and Load stood over a glaring Eli and aimed their blasters at him. "Admit it kid! You lost!" Locke said. "Yeah! And we won!" Load added. But Eli and Kord were smiling. "Then, why are they smiling?" Locke asked in confusion. They heard blasters being prepped. They turned to see Trixie and Harley wielding their blasters. "We'll give you a hint!" Trixie said, firing the Frightgeist she got from Deadweed Cavern, now named Haunter. Haunter hit Locke and Load with Frightningrod, making them scared out of their pants. "Part 2 of our little combo." Harley said, firing Zipper, who flew into Locke and Load's scared faces and screeched at them. Locke and Load started running straight for the exit. "And tell Dr. Blakk, 'nice try!" Eli called after them.

Trixie walked up to Eli. "Frightgeist slug. Combined with a Hoverbug. Nice shot, Trixie." Eli said impressed with Trixie's plan. "Thanks. I guess our trip to Deadweed has really paid off." Trixie said with a blush. "Uh, guys? Not that I don't want to interrupt you lovebirds or anything, but Eli, you're gonna wanna see this." Harley said, making Eli and Trixie blush hard.

Eli looked down the hole and saw the Dark Water. "Dark Water?" He asked. "Yep." Trixie answered. "That tub of Dark Water is what was driving the slugs away. Blakk thought he could ghoul this entire cavern." "And I've got just the cure." Eli said, holding up Doc. Doc looked eager and hopped into his barrel, which Eli loaded into his blaster. "That's a lot of Dark Water. You sure Doc can neutralize it all?" Kord asked in concern. "Kord's probably right. That much Dark Water could probably even ghoul Doc." Harley added. "What do you think Doc? Up for a swim?" Eli asked the Boon Doc. Doc nodded and Eli fired him into the tub. A few seconds went by and the spot where Doc dived began to bubble. Eli, Trixie, Harley and Kord got scared for a minute. But then, Doc emerged and began to swim in a circle, neutralizing the dark water.

Pronto continued after the Fandangos, but noticed they stopped in front of him, causing him to fall almost on top of them. Vance slowly made his way up to the fallen molenoid. "We get one?" He panted out.

Suddenly, Doc began to slow down. "He's running out of steam!" Eli said, worried about his slug. "There's too much Dark Water in that tub!" Harley added. "We need a miracle!" "Yah-ha! Success!" Pronto called out, running up to them as if on cue, holding a Fandango slug. "Uh, only one?" Kord asked, making Pronto stop in his steps to give the troll a dirty look. "No. It's perfect." Trixie said. "Fire it into the hole! The good energy in it will help counteract the dark kind." She explained as Pronto held up a barrel for the slug to jump in. "Pronto hurry!" Pronto loaded the slug into his blaster and fired it at the tub. The Fandango transformed and gave off an energy surge that gave Doc his groove back. "It's working! We need more!" Eli called. "Here comes the cavalry!" Vance called as he, Burpy and the Fandangos came up to the bullseye. "For the record, this was all Burpy." Vance explained. "Nice job, you 2!" Eli said. The gang set up barrels for the Fandangos to hop into. The gang slung the slugs at the tub, giving Doc some help. The rest of the Fandangos acted on their own. They hopped down the hole, transforming as they reached velocity, giving off enough energy to not only neutralize the Dark Water give off a surge of slug energy that started bringing the cavern back to life. The gang cheered as Bullseye got its color back. The gang sat down to enjoy the show. "Wow." Eli said. "Yeah." Trixie agreed. Doc hopped out of the tub, earning cheers and praise from the Fandangos.

The gang looked on as Bullseye was restored. "Wow. Now this is really beautiful." Harley said. "Yeah, but what I don't get: Why of all caverns did Blakk wanna empty out _this_ place?" Kord asked. "Because _this_ is the _exact_ center of Slugterra." Trixie said. The others looked at her. "Get it? _Bullseye!_" "This was nothing but a land grab!" Eli said, putting the pieces together. "And Blakk was staking his claim with Dark Water." Kord just slapped his hand on Eli's back. "Well, looks like we've figured everything out." Kord said. "Not _everything. _I can't stop thinking about why the Shadow Clan let us go." Eli said as Burpy hopped from his shoulder to his backhand. "Sure wish you could tell us what you know about them." "I DID IT!" The gang heard Trixie yell. "I'm the first person to ever capture the Shadow Clan on film!" The gang looked at the footage, but it was all shadowy. Not even Burpy could see the Shadow Clan. "Uh, congratulations?" Eli said, not wanting to hurt her feelings. "I know! Isn't it awesome?! When this footage gets out, it's gonna be massive!" Trixie said excited.

"Oh boy." Harley said getting up to walk back to his mecha, only to slightly trip over something. He looked down to see Vance sleeping. "Vance?" Pronto looked down at the slug racer turned slinger. "I guess chasing those Fandango slugs tuckered him out more than me." He guessed. Kord threw Vance over his shoulder and the 3 walked back to the mechas, with a few Fandangos following them. Trixie was about to join them, but Eli stopped her. "Hey Trix? Um, I was wondering if maybe you'd wanna go for a mecha stroll somewhere sometime? Just you and me?" He asked blushingly. Trixie smiled and took his hand. "I'd like that." She said. They walked back to their mechas hand in hand. Harley looked back at them, happy that Eli now has a beautiful woman in his life.

* * *

Meanwhile, Locke and Load, fully recovered from the Frightningrod attack, were wondering through the tunnel they escaped in. They knew Dr. Blakk was gonna be mad at them for losing Bullseye Cavern. "Alright. We'll lay low for a while. Then find a way to get back at those kids and their gang!" Locke said. "Yeah! Get them good!" Load added, not noticing a couple of Shadow Clan moving behind them. "Make Blakk happy and make us happy." "We'll send a message: Nobody messes with Locke and Load!" Locke said. Until the 2 of them got surrounded by the Shadow Clan. "Not happy." Load got out as the chief screeched at them.

_To be continued…_

**Whoo! That's finished! Blakk almost got Bullseye Cavern destroyed! And who knows what secrets lie with the Shadow Clan? More surprises await in the next chapter. **

**Slug Arsenal:**

**Eli Shane: Burpy (Infurnus), Joules (Tazerling), Noodle (Flopper), Banger (Armashelt), Bolo (Polero), Rammer (Rammstone), Rocky (Hop Rock), Chiller (Frostcrawler), Burner (Lavalynx), Suds (Bubbaleone), Goober (Jellyish), Sparky (Grenuke), Doc (Boon Doc), Larry (Lariet), Gust (Tormato), Buzzsaw (Thresher), Digger (Crystalid), Spinner (Arachnet), Mucky (Dirt Urchin), Tangles (Vinedrill), Spooker (Frightgeist), Charger (Fandango)**

**Harley Shane: Matchstick (Flaringo), Squirm (Flopper), Frostbite (Frostcrawler), Webs (Arachnet), Gels (Jellyish), Zipper (Hoverbug), Ivy (Vinedrill), Masher (Rammstone), Frights (Frightgeist)**

**Trixie Sting: Bluster (Tormato), Blizzard (Frostcrawler), Spider (Arachnet), Twirl (Polero), Balloon (Bubbaleone), Haunter (Frightgeist)**

**Kord Zane: Bludgeon (Rammstone), Sploder (Hop Rock), Jolt (Tazerling), Trip (Polero), Flycatcher (Arachnet)**

**Pronto Geronimo: Stinky (Flatulorhinkus), Slimey (Jellyish), Soapy (Bubbaleone), Bruiser (Rammstone)**


	10. Mario Bravado

**Here we go! Chapter 10! A brand-new surprise awaits! Enjoy!**

Chapter 10: Mario Bravado

Today is a piece of bad news for the Shane Gang. Pronto and Harley are on trial. "Point of order, your Honor. My colleague and I beg the court's indulgence to plead for our not guiltiness." Pronto pleaded to the judge. "It was a simple misunderstanding really."

_[Flashback]_

_You see, the gang was walking through the cavern when Pronto decided to swipe some gum from Trixie's pocket. As Pronto threw the gum into his mouth and started chewing, he felt an unpleasant taste in his mouth and spat it on the sidewalk. At that moment, 2 guards apprehended Pronto's arms. "Spitting on the sidewalk is illegal in this town. Judge Logan has us enforce the law with no exceptions." The one guard explained._

_[Flashback end]_

"It's just gum!" Pronto continued. "Which of course leads us to the point where my colleague here, decided to join the misunderstanding." He referred over to Harley. "Oh boy." Harley muttered.

_[Flashback]_

_As the guards apprehended Pronto, Harley looked back and noticed. He walked back to them. "Excuse me? Something wrong, officers?" He asked. "Yes. This mole committed an illegal act." The guard on the right said. Harley facepalmed himself. "Oh, Pronto. What'd he do? He rip someone off in this town? An unpaid mecha ticket?" He tried to guess. "Spitting gum on the sidewalk." The guard corrected. Harley went wide-eyed for a minute, then started to laugh out loud. "Spitting gum?! A crime?! Oh, that's rich! I've never heard of anything so ridiculous in my life!" Harley said, still laughing. The other guard walked up to him and took his arm. "Outbursting laughter is also illegal." The guard said._

_[Flashback end]_

Harley lowered his head. "In conclusion, WE THROW OURSELVES IN THE MERCY OF THE COURT!" Pronto said in a pleading outburst. "OH PLEASE, YOUR HONOR! PRETTY, PRETTY, PRETTY PLEASE! WITH CHOCOLATE SAUCE ON IT!" Judge Logan just glared at the pleading molenoid. "I don't think your pleadings are helping, Pronto." Harley whispered to his mole partner. Judge Logan raised his gavel. "Guilty! Both of 'em!" He replied, dropping the hammer. "Yep. I thought so." Harley said.

Eli, Trixie, Kord and Vance were sitting in the court room in defense of their teammates. "Well Pronto did actually spit and Harley's big voice does get the better of him at times. Trust me, I know. So, let's just pay the fine and get out of here." Eli suggested. But the judge had other plans. "Both 50 years hard labor!" He sentenced with an evil chuckle. Pronto and Harley looked at each other wide-eyed as they were being handcuffed. "50 YEARS?!" The team asked in shock. This made Pronto start crying. Even Harley hung his head in shame.

Trixie started groaning. "This is all my fault!" She said. "I mean, I had to do something to stop him from stealing my gum. I thought it would teach him a lesson." Eli put a hand on her shoulder. "It's okay, Trix. Let me try something." He walked up to the judge. "Your Honor. You can't be serious! 50 years both for spitting on the sidewalk and out-loud laughing?" Eli asked. Judge Logan looked on at the Shane boy. "Look, I'm Eli Shane, son of Will Shane, and I wanna see justice done too. But this is-" "A Shane, huh?" Judge Logan asked. "Uh, yes. And that's my brother, Harley." Eli replied, pointing at Harley. "Is that so? Never did care much for the Shanes. Especially your father." Judge Logan explained. Harley could see that this judge was not worthy to be called a judge. "But in your case, I'll make an exception, and NOT PUT YOU AWAY FOR AGGREVATED SASS! Shane or not, your brother and your molenoid is now my prisoners!" That made Eli glare angrily. "LOCK THEM UP!" The judge ordered. The guards dragged Pronto and Harley away. "Wait! This is a travesty of justice!" Pronto protested as he was dragged away. "I've got my eye on you, Shane." Judge Logan muttered to Eli, making him even madder.

The guards locked up Harley and Pronto in a cell together. "Wait! I'm an innocent mole!" Pronto continued to protest from inside the cell.

Outside the prison, Eli, Trixie, Kord and Vance looked on at the prison. "Guys? We need to poke around this jail to see what it's made of." Eli said. "Why?" Trixie asked. "Because we're gonna bust Pronto and Harley out." Eli explained.

* * *

**(Intro)**

* * *

Inside their cell, Pronto was completely miffed. "Locked up like a common criminal. This is an outrage! There is nothing common about Pronto." He ranted, shaking the bars. Harley just shook his head as he leaned against the wall. The other 3 prisoners in the same cell stared at them. "What are you 2 supposed to be? Some kind of criminal masterminds?" One of them asked. Pronto and Harley looked at them. Harley brought Pronto close for a personal conference. "Pronto, you know those exaggerated fibs you always come up with from time to time?" Harley asked. "Yes. Kind of." Pronto answered. "Well, I've got one that could get us on these guys' good sides." Harley whispered the plan to Pronto, who nodded as he listened. "Okay, you got it?" Harley asked. Pronto nodded. "Good. Now let's work our magic."

They turned to their cellmates. "Uh, yes we are." Pronto started. "In fact, my colleague and I are the leaders of a vast organization. Infamous for it's villainy and sharp attire." Harley looked at him funny. "Sharp attire?" He asked. "Well, sometimes it's the clothes that make the villain." Pronto explained. "Good point." Harley admitted.

One of the prisoners just looked at them. "I thought you 2 got pinched for spitting gum and outbursted laughing." He said. "Yes, well, that was just a taste of our crimes." Pronto explained. "So, who're you 3 and what're you in for?" Harley asked. "I'm Darwin. In for public speaking. Morty here's in for breathing too loud. And Gary's in for aggravated smiling." Darwin explained as Morty started breathing loudly and Gary gave a smile. "Yeah. That Judge Logan has a real racket going." Morty explained. "He locks you up for breaking ridiculous laws and then sells you off for hard labor." "Not just any hard labor. I heard he sends you to work for Dr. Blakk." Darwin revealed. Pronto gasped in horror, while Harley glared in anger. 'I knew this judge was bad, but he's just another pawn on Blakk's payroll.' He thought.

* * *

Back at the Shane Hideout, Kord explained the same thing. "Dr. Blakk?!" Eli asked in shock. "That's what my source tells me." Kord explained. "Judge Logan cleans out his jails and Blakk gets free workers for his smelters." Wormy whimpered from outside the door, getting worried about her owner. "How long do we have?" Eli asked. "Few days maybe." Kord guessed. "Then we need to move fast. Let's go over the plan." Eli said. Kord pointed over to a cart hooked onto Wyatt. "This delivers supplies to the jail every day. Paid the driver to take his place." He explained. "If we pull this off, we'll cart away everyone undetected." "Good." Eli said. "Remember guys, Pronto and Harley aren't the only ones who have been unjustly locked up. There are other prisoners in there that need our help. Then we can put a stop to Logan." He explained before turning back to Kord. "Now, tell me about the shot I've gotta make." "It's pretty much close to impossible. So, I got you this." Kord handed Eli a scope. "Pretty awesome." Eli said, testing the scope. "Yeah. That SPX 5000 scope gives you every angle, every reading, every trajectory. You'll make amazing shots." Kord explained as Eli pointed the scope at Trixie, then at Vance and at Burpy. Kord then held up a slug barrel. It contained a slug wearing goggles. "And I mail ordered this Speedstinger slug to go with the scope." He said, handing the barrel to Eli. "His name's Stunts. He's pretty much the only slug who can make it work, cause all of the scope's data and angles are put right into his little high-tech goggles." "Hi Stunts. Welcome to the team." Eli said, welcoming the new slug. Stunts chittered happily. "Now, let's go over the plan."

The gang walked up to a paper mâché version of the jail and began acting out the plan. "First, Kord will drive up to the jail and act casual like they're delivering supplies. Vance will hide in the wagon so he can give Pronto the all clear to get in. Trixie will make sure the guard is distracted and give me the sign. Then it's all up to me and Stunts. And if everything goes according to plan, we hit velocity, ricochet off the wagon, rebound off the flagpole and make his way up to the cooling tower, make a series of bank shots to the jail room, go in through the air vent with a bank shot, a quick roll, spring the lock, into the cage, open the cuffs and when the coast is clear, get everyone to safety without anyone being the wiser." Eli reviewed. "Seems risky, but I'm all in." Vance said. "Me too." Kord added. "So am I." Trixie added. "Alright then guys. Let's go spring Pronto." Eli said with confidence.

* * *

At the jail, Kord rode up with the wagon. Trixie gave the thumbs up signal to Eli, who was feeling a little worried about this shot. "Just trust the high-tech stuff, right? This is a little confusing. I hope you're getting all this, Stunts." He said. He shot Stunts towards the wagon and bounced off the flagpole but headed for Kord's head instead. Stunts then bounced off into the distance. Eli winced as Stunts ricocheted off distant objects. "Uh-oh. Aw man! Ooh. Not good!" He said as he took his sniper and ran off.

* * *

Back at the hideout, Eli felt down on screwing up the mission. "That was a complete and total disaster." He said with his head in his hands. Even Stunts was feeling bad for messing up. Burpy patted his back to cheer his new teammate up. "Sorry, but we told you Eli: the weak spot in your plan is that _nobody_ can make that shot." Trixie said. "Yeah, nobody! Well, except maybe Mario Bravado." Kord said. "Mario who?" Eli asked. "What?! Oh, come on! Mario Bravado?" Trixie said walking to her computer. "He's only the greatest trick-shot slinger ever!" Kord said, sounding like a fanboy. "He's almost as famous as me and your dad." Vance added. "Here. Check it out." Trixie said, putting up a video of Mario Bravado.

Mario Bravado rode in on a blue horse mecha beast blindfolded with an apple on his head. His own Speedstinger hopped into his blaster as he walked up to a series of targets. He slung his slug from behind his back and it hit every target, twirled down to the bottom target and ricocheted to the apple, taking most of the top off. The crowd cheered as the video ended.

"He could make any shot." Trixie said. "Yeah. Had his own show and everything." Kord added. "What happened to him?" Eli asked. "Apparently, he dropped out of the spotlight and now owns a pizza restaurant out in the middle of nowhere." Trixie explained. "Well, I think it's time Mario Bravado made a comeback and fast." Eli said. "I can take you there." Vance offered. "I've eaten at his restaurant dozens of times." "Thanks Vance. Let's go." Eli said.

* * *

Eli and Vance made their way into a small-town cavern. "This can't be the right place." Eli said in doubt. "Oh, this is the right place, alright. Look." Vance said, pointing to the building with the neon pizza on it. Eli looked on. "Why would a trick-shot legend live here?" He asked. "I don't know. Nobody knows why he dropped out." Vance said. "Well, I'm going in. Wait out here." Eli said as he walked into the place.

A few minutes went by. Vance was getting a little worried. Suddenly, Eli came flying out of the building. Mario Bravado walked out, holding some pizza dough. "What you really need help with is your hearing! I said no!" He said, throwing the dough in Eli's face. "That went well." Eli said to Stunts. Vance ran over to help. "What did you say to him?" He asked in concern. "I told him that I needed his help, but he thought I was there to order a pizza. So, I told him the truth, probably said some things that offended him and here I am." Eli explained. "This is gonna be a problem."

* * *

Back at the jail, Pronto and Harley were telling made-up stories of their gang as Judge Logan and one of his guards walk in. "So, we were surrounded by fire scorpions, but then realize that me and my partner here were the toughest slingers they've ever seen." Pronto explained as the others chowed on their lunch. "So, then what happened?" Morty asked. "_I_ slung a Hoverbug slug, which grabbed my wrists and swooped me down at the entire pack. I then started kicking them right in the face and just like that, they scurried away in fear." Harley said, neither him or Pronto noticing that Judge Logan was at the cell door. "And that is why our organization will bust us out of this place." Pronto added. "You see, it's about fear and respect. Kind of a fearful respect." He started munching on his food as Judge Logan and his guard walked away. Harley took notice out from the bars. "The Shane kid and his molenoid friend are trouble. Especially with the Shane's brother in their corner." Logan said in concern. "The sooner we have them out of here, the better. See what you can do!" He ordered his guard. "Yes Judge." The guard said.

As soon as Judge Logan was out of the building, the guard sighed. "I really don't like that guy." He said. "Then why work for him?" Harley's voice asked from the cell. The guard looked back and walked to the cell. "Because if I don't, I end up like you guys. At least that's what happened to the last guard who defied his laws." He said. "How did that guy even become a judge anyway?" Harley asked. "No one knows. Probably had Blakk rig the election. But I do know this: he's been obsessed with keeping order in this town." The guard explained. "That's why he created these ridiculous laws. Anything he sees in this town is a violation of those laws. He even deemed your father an outlaw in this town." That made Harley more angry than he was before. "You really think your brother's gonna bust you out before Blakk's train shows up." The guard asked. "I know so. And when he does, we'll give that judge what's coming to him." Harley assured.

* * *

Back at the restaurant, Eli went back in. "Listen, I-" Eli tried to say. "I said no! Now scram!" Mario warned. "We're not here to talk, Mario. We're here to eat." Vance said walking in. "Vance Volt? You know this kid?" Mario asked. "Yes, I do. He's my guest." Vance said. A while later, the both of them went through 3 trays of pizza and they were looking green in the face. "Uh. I can't believe we ate that much pizza." Eli said sick-like. "Yeah. This was more than-(hurp)-my usual order." Vance added, about to throw up. Even Burpy and Stunts were sick to their stomachs. Mario dropped another pizza at their table and walked back to the counter. "Look, my brother and my friend are in real trouble." Eli said. "This isn't for me. It's for them! They tell me you're the only one who can make the shot I need." Mario looked back at Eli. "That's all?" He asked as his Speedstinger, Ricochet, who had a scar on his head, hopped onto his shoulder. Mario then looked at his old suit and blaster displayed on the wall. "Well-" He thought. "Well?" Eli asked. "Sounds like more trouble than it's worth kid. Forget it. I'm _done_ slinging! Forever!" Mario rejected.

"What happened to you?!" Eli asked getting up from his seat. "Excuse me?!" Mario shot back at Eli's question. "You were some big hero and then you just disappeared." Eli refreshed what he was told. Mario scoffed. "I'm no hero! I was a kid with a TV show. That's all!" He said. "I know a little bit about being famous you know. My dad was Will Shane." Eli revealed. "What? Really?! You and your brother are Will Shane's kids?!" Mario asked in shock. "Well, you could've mentioned that." "Would it have changed your mind?" Eli asked. "Nope." Mario answered. "Alright then. Sorry I wasted your time. And mine!" Eli said as he turned to walk out. "Wait!" Mario called. "I'm not gonna take the shot. But if rescuing your brother and your friend is that important, I'll teach you how to do it. Should be no problem for a Shane." He offered. "Oh, you're right it shouldn't. Because this kid came close to beating _me_ in the Slug Run a few months back." Vance said. "Really?" Mario asked. "Yep. So, let's hope you're a good teacher, because we don't have a lot of time." Eli said, twirling his blaster.

"Okay, that's 3 large no onion. Thanks for calling Ricochet's." Mario said on the phone. After he hung up, he turned to Eli. "Okay. Remember, 90% of trick-shooting is half mental." He explained. Eli raised his eyebrow. "So, first things first: we make the pizza." He tossed some dough at Eli's face. "What?" Eli asked as he pulled off the dough. Mario just stared. Eli just slammed the dough down on the counter. "Ugh. If it helps my friend and Harley, I'll try anything." He said as he took a rolling pin and started rolling out the dough. "Uh, what do you think you're doing?" Mario asked. "Making pizza?" Eli guessed. "Relax! We'll get to that!" Mario assured. "First things first: figure out the order. The layers. Plan it out in your head." He explained. "Can you guess what I'm looking at right now?" Eli looked to where Mario was looking: a bowl of veggies and some spice bottles. "The ingredients." He guessed. "Buzzer sound'! Wrong! I'm looking at the finished pizza in my head." Mario corrected. Eli grinned. "When you start something, always know what it is you're wanting to finish." Mario explained, taking a ladle from the back counter. "In this case, we're making what?" He asked. "3 large pizzas. The works." Eli said. "It's about lining up all the ingredients together." Mario explained as Ricochet jumped from his shoulder to his hand and into the ladle. "You wanna see why this place is called Ricochet Pizza?" He asked. Eli nodded.

Mario took position and brought the ladle back. He took a deep breath and slung Ricochet. The slug bounced off a frying pan down to a pot full of tomato sauce. He hit the ladle in the bowl, landing a blob of sauce on the dough. He zipped back and ricocheted off the pan rack, off a spice bottle, knocking it onto a bowl of sliced pepperoni, mushroom and onion, which flew out of the bowl and onto the dough. Ricochet zipped past Eli to a cutting board with sliced sausage, which landed on the dough, same time as the others. He then bounced off a light, into a plate with a pineapple, sending it into the ceiling fan, slicing it up. The 2 slices landed on the dough. The slug then ricocheted into a cheese grater, sending it upwards at a cake of cheese, slicing of some strings on to the dough. Ricochet zipped back into Mario's hand.

Eli and Vance were very impressed at what they saw. "Wow! That was great! But they said no onion." Eli said, recalling the order. "Good. You're paying attention." Mario said. "Now, make 3 large pizzas. The works. No onion." He tossed the ladle to Eli. Stunts hopped from his slinger's shoulder to his hand and into the ladle. Stunts took note from the angles and trajectories as Eli pulled back and slung him at the sauce pot, knocking the ladle full on to the dough and back to Eli's hand. "We need to make the _whole_ pizza in one shot." Mario explained. "Ricochet Pizza. Remember?" "Right." Eli said putting Stunts back into the ladle. Eli and Stunts planned their move out. Eli pulled back, took a deep breath and slung Stunts. Stunts did the move almost exactly the same way Ricochet did, but all they made was some messy pizza. "Okay. Let's do that again." Mario said.

While Stunts and Ricochet were playing with the cash register, Mario looked at Eli's SPX 5000 scope. "High-tech stuff just doesn't get it done like finely honed instincts. You got 'em. You just have to trust 'em." Mario said, tossing the scope away. Vance caught it just before it hit the trash bin. 'Boy, that would have made Kord _so_ mad.' Vance thought. "Okay. So, _now_ do we do some slinging?" Eli asked. Mario held up a blindfold. "If you mean slinging more pizzas, yes." He said, putting the blindfold on Eli.

Eli, blindfolded, took a stance holding pepperoni. "Hit this with pepperoni without looking." Mario said, tossing some pizza dough in the air. Eli got ready and threw the pepperoni at the dough. "How was that?" Eli asked, only to see Mario covered in pepperoni. "Uh, I think you need a little more honing." Mario said.

A while of practice later, Eli loaded up 6 boxes of pizzas he made. "You're improving, Eli. But you've gotta relax." Mario said. "Okay. When do I learn to shoot?" Eli asked. "That's what you've been doing. You just don't know it yet." Mario explained. Eli seemed confused but decided to take Mario's word for it. "You've got a trick-shooter's heart, Eli. And I've never seen anyone so connected with their slugs. Let alone give them names." Mario said as Eli picked up Stunts. "Other than me at least." He added as Ricochet hopped to his shoulder. "So, why'd you quit?" Eli asked. Mario sighed. "I've never told anyone this, you know." Mario began to explain his reason for retirement. "I was at the top of my game, felt like nothing could go wrong. I guess I was a little too cocky. One day, I was offered a job and I refused. Probably said a few things I shouldn't have. I got called out. If I lost, I'd have to quit forever. I thought I couldn't be beat. I was wrong. I got hit by a slug I've never seen before. Never want to see it again."

Eli put the pieces (or ingredients) together. "It was a ghoul, wasn't it? You dueled Dr. Blakk!" He guessed. "It doesn't matter now. I'm a man of my word. And I told you I'd train you." Mario said. "So, have you and Stunts figured it out?" Eli looked at Stunts, who nodded and hopped into his barrel. Eli loaded Stunts into his blaster and took aim. Eli planned everything out and slung Stunts. Stunts hit velocity and did the same move and Ricochet, plus sending the pizza into the oven and back to Eli. "Pretty good kid. And even though you forgot to add extra cheese, I think you're ready." Mario said. "You know Dr. Blakk is a cheat. He'd never hold up his end of the bargain. You don't owe him anything." Eli said. "He's right. Blakk used to sponsor me during the Slug Run before I realized his intensions. Look at me now: big time member of the Shane Gang, thanks to good friends I can trust." Vance explained, looking at Eli. Mario looked at his display. "This world needs you. So do I." Eli said. Mario looked at Ricochet, who nodded. "Alright. We're in." Mario said. "Really? Great!" Eli said, finally getting Mario back in the game. "But you're making the shot." Mario bargained. Eli nodded.

* * *

Back at the jail, Trixie and Kord were keeping watch as Blakk's train had arrived. "Good news!" Eli's voice called to them as he and Vance showed up. "I got trained up and we brought Mario Bravado to back me up." He said as Mario showed up on his mecha. "Oh, man! Look at you! Wow! You're really Mario Bravado!" Kord said geeking out. Mario shook his head in amusement. "Do you remember the episode from your show, number 56, when you shot that slug-" "Kord! We don't have time for this." Trixie interrupted. "Nice to meet you, Mario. Love the jacket!" She said. 'Keep it together, Trix! You're Eli's girlfriend!' She thought to herself.

Suddenly, the train whistle blew. "Uh, we got some bad news, Eli. They're leaving. Now!" Kord said as the train started leaving. Eli gasped as the train carried a car loaded with a cage containing Pronto, Harley and the other prisoners.

* * *

On the car, Pronto and Harley were getting really worried as the gang looked on from the cliff. "Guys, I didn't plan for _this_! I planned for a trick-shot to break them out of jail!" Eli said worried. "You can do it, kid. Put all of your ingredients together. It's just as easy as making a pizza." Mario reminded his pupil. "What have they been doing?" Trixie asked as Kord scratched his head. "Trick-shooting while making pizza." Vance said. "Guys. We need to get a move on." Eli said. Mario held up Ricochet in a slug barrel. "It's been a while. Hasn't it, old friend?" He asked. The Speedstinger nodded as Mario loaded the barrel into his blaster. "You're gonna sling?" Eli asked getting off Lucky. "You're not afraid of Blakk. I don't have to be either. It's time to come out of retirement." Mario said as he got off his mecha and walked to the wagon. "But you're still making the shot." "Right. Kord? Catch that train!" Eli called.

The gang rode to catch up to the train. A couple of goons saw them coming. "The Shane Gang?" One asked in disbelief. "Step on it!" The other called. "There they are! They've come for us!" Pronto yelled for joy, until he saw Mario with them. "Hey. Who's that other guy?" "We've been in jail for 2 whole days and already my brother got a new teammate?" Harley asked. "Hey, Boss Pronto and Boss Harley are the real deal! They got Mario Bravado in their gang!" Gary said, impressed. "Well, of course. We taught Mario Bravado everything he knows." Pronto lied. "Mario who?" He asked. "Don't know. Never heard of him." Harley muttered.

"Hey Eli. We've got trouble up ahead!" Kord said. There was a tunnel up ahead of the tracks. "Once the train goes into that tunnel, we won't be able to follow!" Trixie explained. "We'll be too late!" Kord swerved around some rocks on the path, almost knocking Eli and Mario off the wagon. "Talk about a trick-shot! Take out the guards, free the prisoners and try to stay on this wagon!" Eli pointed out. "Kord! You focus on driving! Trixie! We'll need you as a spotter!" Trixie hopped onto Wyatt as the goons started firing their ghouls at them. "2 guards! On top of the train!" Trixie called as to more goons climbed onto the roof and fired 2 Hop Jacks and a Greneater. Kord slung his Bubbaleone, now named Floatie, to deflect the ghouls. Trixie slung Blizzard and put the 2 others in a Deepfreeze attack. Eli and Mario fired Stunts and Ricochet opposite from each other, rebounded from some cliff walls and into the goons' heads and back again, knocking them out. The slugs rebounded back to their slingers. "Did you see that shot?!" Eli asked in over excitement. "Don't get cocky kid!" Mario said.

"That tunnel's getting closer!" Trixie called. "Yeah! And I think they just picked up speed!" Kord added. "I've got 4 more guards and we still have to get the prisoners loose." Trixie said as 4 more goons climbed to the top of the train. "Here we go kid! Sling it like you mean it!" Mario said as Eli got ready to fire another slug, slightly dodging another ghoul. Kord swerved out of the way of more ghouls but got caught on a small rock ramp. A goon fired another Hop Jack. Eli fired Spinner from mid-air. Spinner launched her web at the ghoul, stopping it in mid-air. As they landed, Eli loaded and fired Rocky at the goons, knocking them off the train. Pronto cheered at the success of his team. Another goon fired another ghoul, nearly grazing Trixie and Kord. Kord slung Bludgeon and knocked him down with a single punch. Kord gasped at an unfortunate sight. "They're almost at the tunnel!" He called. "No!" Trixie yelled. Eli and Mario gasped. "How are we gonna get them off the train one by one?! We don't have time!" Kord said losing hope as 3 more goons emerged on top of the train, slinging more ghouls. Trixie eyed something. "The pin that locks Pronto and Harley's car to the train! That's our only hope!" She said.

Eli felt unsure. "I can't take out the pin and the switch in one shot! It's impossible!" He said. "No, it's not!" Mario said. "Just remember what I taught you: Find the ingredients! The layers! Plan it out." As one of the goons fired another Hop Jack, Kord swerved out of the way and Trixie fired Twirl at the guy's legs, causing him to lose his balance and topple on his comrades. Eli held up his blaster, loaded with Stunts. "Okay, Stunts, let's do this!" He said. Stunts chirped and got ready. Eli got ready and took a deep breath, putting all of his ingredients together and planning out his move. Eli then pointed to the sky and slung Stunts. Everybody looked up at his shot. "What was that?" Harley asked from in the cage. Stunts then came back down and ricocheted off the track, pushing the pin out and unlinking the car from the train. As the train reached the tunnel, Stunts bounced off the water tower and hit the switch, back to Eli. The tracks switched, leading the car off the current track.

Everyone gave a cheer at their victory. "You see? Big Bosses Harley and Pronto make it happen." Pronto boasted. "Got that right!" Harley agreed, giving the mole a fist bump. But their victory was short lived. Trixie saw a sign with a skull and crossbones mark, then looked ahead with her camera to see that the tracks go off a cliff. "We've got a major problem!" She called to the others. Everyone looked at the problem. "CLIFF!" Harley shouted. Pronto screamed, Gary actually dropped his smile and Darwin and Morty gasped. "Kord, get in close!" Eli said. Kord rode in close to the car. "Mario, this one's all you, buddy." Mario nodded. "Stand back, everyone!" He called. The prisoners huddled together away from the cage door. Mario slung Ricochet, who bounced off the lock and ricocheted from the cuffs, setting everyone free. "Great shot!" Eli said to Mario before turning to the prisoners. "Everyone! Get out of there!" He called, but everyone was hesitating as they neared the cliff. "Come on! I'm running out of land!" Kord called as Morty jumped first. Kord caught him and threw him on top of the wagon. Gary followed next. Harley, Darwin and Pronto gasped as the cliff got closer. Darwin jumped off and Kord got him by the leg, but they skidded to a stop as the car was right at the cliff. "Oh no." Pronto muttered as he and Harley went off the cliff, screaming for their lives. Eli loaded and fired Suds, who bounced off a spike on the cavern roof and zoomed down towards Harley and Pronto. Everyone got worried. But then, Suds floated up with Pronto and Harley in her stomach, making everyone sigh in relief. "Now that's slinging some pizza." Eli said. "You said it kid." Mario agreed. "All this talk of pizza has given Pronto the hunger for the extra cheese." Pronto said from inside Suds' stomach.

* * *

Back at Ricochet Pizza, everybody was settling down to a nice hot pizza victory dinner. "Oh, it was hard on the inside, let me tell you. And the food was atrocious!" Pronto said. "Pronto, you and Harley were barely in jail 2 days." Trixie reminded her molenoid friend. "And yet, we survived." Pronto boasted. "He's right. Even 1 day in jail can lead to the end of someone's sanity." Harley agreed. "So, wait! Mario Bravado retired because of Blakk?!" Kord asked Vance. "That's what he said." Vance answered. Meanwhile, Mario was looking at his blaster when Eli came over. "You can still make the best trick-shots. If you're ready to make a comeback for real, you got a spot on our team." Eli offered. "You know, I actually gave some thought on that. After today, I think it is time to make a comeback. I'm in." Mario accepted, giving Eli a fist bump. Even Stunts and Ricochet high-fived their tails. "But, I'm still gonna keep the pizza place open. Because to me, slinging pizzas and slinging slugs are the same thing." Mario explained. "Plus, my girlfriend co-owns the place, so she helps out from time to time." "Good enough for me." Eli accepted.

Eli then turned to Harley. "Isn't this great, Harley? We got a new teammate." He said. "Shh! I'm trying to teach my slugs to make pizza." Harley said, showing chopped ingredients to Matchstick, Webs, Zipper and Shredder, his new Thresher. "Why?" Eli asked, raising an eyebrow. "Mario gave me a job here." Harley announced. Eli went wide-eyed and turned to Mario. "He told me he makes a good pizza same as me, so I gave him a job here." Mario explained. "Cool." Eli said.

"Uh, not to interrupt or anything. It's great we got Pronto and Harley out, but what are we gonna do about Judge Logan?" Kord asked. "Give him a taste of his own medicine." Trixie said, pulling out a box. Harley walked over and took the box. "I'll deliver it to him personally." He said. "Besides, me and his guards have a score to settle with him."

* * *

At the courthouse, Judge Logan took a seat in his chair and noticed the box. He opened it and inside was a pack of gum. He was a little confused but smiled, took a stick, put it in his mouth and started chewing. Suddenly, he started to get a fowl taste in his mouth and spat the gum onto his desk. His guards walked up and took his arms. Logan looked at his guards. "Sorry, your honor. Spitting's illegal in these parts." One guard said with a sly grin. They started dragging Logan away. "No! Wait! I was framed! That gum was awful! It tasted like hot sauce and rotten fish!" Logan tried to protest. "We enforce the law with no exceptions. Your orders, sir. Your _former_ orders." The other guard said. "What?! Wait! Hold on! This is ridiculous!" Logan ranted. "Good! Glad you see it that way!" Harley's voice came from the door. They stopped to see Harley walking up to them. "You!" Logan said in shock. "That's right. Now, you're about to go right where Blakk's employers belong: behind bars." Harley stated. "And by then, we'll have a new judge to help us reinforce the law in this town." The one guard said. "And we can guarantee you won't be walking out of your jail cell today or any day, former judge." They continued to drag the former judge to jail. "Oh, I _will_ get out! And when I do, I'll make you and your brother pay, Shane! You Shanes will PAY!" Logan shouted. "Promises, promises." Harley muttered in amusement.

_To be continued…_

**Finally finished with writing this thing. I've been busy with a lot of things while out in Alberta for the past month. So, how'd you like that? Mario Bravado joins the Shane Gang and gave Harley a job at his pizza place. More surprises will be on the way. I know I left out the scene where Eli actually meets Mario, but I found that scene a little embarrassing. So, sorry! Leave a review if you want.**

**Author's Note: New chapters are gonna be on hold for a while. I'm getting a new laptop in a couple of weeks. I've been having issues with my old one. But don't worry. I'll be back!**

**Slug Arsenal:**

**Eli Shane: Burpy (Infurnus), Joules (Tazerling), Noodle (Flopper), Banger (Armashelt), Bolo (Polero), Rammer (Rammstone), Rocky (Hop Rock), Chiller (Frostcrawler), Burner (Lavalynx), Suds (Bubbaleone), Goober (Jellyish), Sparky (Grenuke), Doc (Boon Doc), Larry (Lariat), Gust (Tormato), Buzzsaw (Thresher), Digger (Crystalyd), Spinner (Arachnet), Mucky (Dirt Urchin), Tangles (Vinedrill), Spooker (Frightgeist), Charger (Fandango), Stunts (Speedstinger)**

**Harley Shane: Matchstick (Flaringo), Squirm (Flopper), Frostbite (Frostcrawler), Webs (Arachnet), Gels (Jellyish), Zipper (Hoverbug), Ivy (Vinedrill), Masher (Rammstone), Frights (Frightgeist), Shredder (Thresher)**

**Trixie Sting: Bluster (Tormato), Blizzard (Frostcrawler), Spider (Arachnet), Twirl (Polero), Balloon (Bubbaleone), Haunter (Frightgeist)**

**Kord Zane: Bludgeon (Rammstone), Sploder (Hop Rock), Jolt (Tazerling), Trip (Polero), Flycatcher (Arachnet), Floatie (Bubbaleone)**

**Pronto Geronimo: Stinky (Flatulorhinkus), Slimey (Jellyish), Soapy (Bubbaleone), Bruiser (Rammstone)**

**Mario Bravado: Ricochet (Speedstinger)**


	11. Endangered Species

**Here it is! Chapter 11! Introducing the Enigmo slug! Plus, some extra surprises. Enjoy!**

Chapter 11: Endangered Species

Trixie was speeding on Boomer through the caverns. Eli and the others were right behind her. "Trixie! Wait up!" Eli called to his girlfriend. "What's the deal?! One minute we're having breakfast, and then the next, you tear off on your mecha!" Kord said, not understanding. "Yeah. I said I was sorry! It wasn't my fault! It was Pronto's cooking!" Eli said, referring to Pronto being a bad cook. "Hey! It takes an iron stomach to digest Casserole a la Molenoid." Pronto boasted. "That's not the reason I took off!" Trixie called. "Well, not the main reason."

_[Flashback]_

At the hideout Pronto was sniffing his food. He took a piece it his fork and started munching on it. Eli, Kord, Harley, Mario and Vance were a little hesitant to try the food. Trixie, bored out of her mind, gently shoved her food aside and went back to reading articles on her computer. Until she got a glimpse of a very special article. "No way! The Enigmo slug actually exists!" She said getting up. Suddenly, Eli started groaning. "Oh, this isn't sitting well." Eli groaned, feeling his stomach turn. He then started gagging. "You might wanna clear out. Now!" He said as everyone started to scatter before he threw up.

_[Flashback end]_

"Enigmo slug? Never heard of it." Eli said. "Yeah. Dad never mentioned anything about an Enigmo slug." Harley added. "What's it do that's so special?" Eli asked. "No one knows. Everyone always thought the Enigmo was just a legend. This is probably the last one in existance! No one's ever seen one transform." Trixie explained. Eli smiled and rode up beside her. "So, if we hurry, we can be the first to fire it and find out!" He said, now getting intrigued. "Even better: we can be the first to get that on video!" Trixie said, holding up her camera. Eli smiled at her. "This is why you're my girlfriend. Because you always have great ideas." He said, making her blush as they continued to speed ahead.

The gang soon arrived at Jungle Cavern, home of the Enigmo. Eli glanced all around the cavern. "This place is incredible." He said. "It's nice to see parts of Slugterra that are still unspoiled." That is until an explosion knocked over a big mushroom. Everyone flinched at the sound and sight of explosions. "So much for being 'unspoiled." Kord said quoting unspoiled. Eli looked down to see 4 slingers, 3 males and 1 female, firing at the jungle. "And so much for being the first to get here." Trixie added. "Who are these guys?" Harley asked. "Slug hunters. And they're after the Enigmo." Eli guessed with a glare.

* * *

**(Intro) (Shane Gang updated with Mario Bravado)**

* * *

The slug hunters searched high and low for the Enigmo. One of them fired a Hop Rock at a mushroom, knocking it over.

The Shane Gang glared at what was happening. "We need to get down there before they destroy this entire jungle!" Eli said. "No way!" Kord said, getting off of Wyatt. "The second you get some of that mushroom salad in your mecha's gears, its gonna go 'imitates metal creaking and then explosion." "Then I guess we're going on foot. Come on!" Eli said.

As they made their way down, Pronto tripped on a small mushroom, bounced off some bigger mushrooms and landed on another mushroom, getting mushroom slop on his clothes. Pronto started groaning at his unfortunate accident. "Slug hunting on foot. So uncivilized." He complained, until he saw a rich couple relaxing under a big tent, drinking some nectars. "Now, _this_ is how you do it." Pronto said impressed. "Yeah. If you really don't care about getting the Enigmo." Eli stated. "Oh, but we're very eager to have it." The woman said. "Yes. As soon as one of you finds it, we'll be here to buy it for a fair price." The man said, gesturing over to a chest loaded with gold. "I wouldn't exactly call that fair. More like a crazy insane mech load of money!" Trixie said. "Oh. With such riches, we could do much good. For Pronto." Pronto said.

_[Pronto's imagination]_

Pronto was sitting on a mole mecha. "Oh, I could finally get a new mecha beast, with a comfy seat and less attitude." He thought while getting comfy on his new mecha while glaring at a distant Fernando. "Or a bejeweled handbag. With a comb pocket." He thought as a handbag appeared in his hand and he took a comb out of it and started combing his moustache. "No. Wait! A new scarf." He thought as his current scarf switched to a new blue scarf.

_[Imagination end]_

"Pronto! Snap out of it!" Trixie said snapping her fingers, bringing Pronto back into reality and getting a glare from him.

Eli looked at the gold. "That is a lot of gold. I don't know if I could sell it." He said, feeling unsure about selling a slug. "Oh. I doubt you'll have the chance. There's already a lot of competition. But, if you do manage to catch it first, we'll be here waiting." The woman said. Eli just smiled.

The gang trekked into the jungle. Suddenly, they heard an explosion. Then, a big mushroom started to topple towards them. "INCOMING!" Kord yelled as the ducked out of the way as the mushroom collapsed. As they recovered, Pronto fell from a smaller mushroom on top of Kord. Eli looked around and saw the 4 slug hunters walking towards the wreck, looking for the Enigmo. But all they found was a Flaringo, a Bubbaleone, a Thresher and a Dirt Urchin. "Nope. No Enigmo." The lead hunter, named Sid, said. The other 3 slugs hopped away, while the Thresher angrily chittered at the guy. "Yeah, yeah. Get going!" Sid said, giving a kick to scare the slug away. "No one's gonna pay 2 tons of gold for you!" Suddenly, an apple hit his head. "Hey!" Trixie called. Sid glared at the gang walking towards them. "You almost flattened us!" Trixie accused. "The Shane Gang?! Didn't expect you guys to be here." Sid said as his partners rallied beside him. Trixie was about to say something 'til Eli put his hand on her shoulder. "Let me do the talking, Trix." He said. Trixie nodded. "Look, we're all eager to find the Enigmo, but maybe there's a less destructive way to do it." He said.

Sid thought about it. "Hey, you know, the Shane kid's right." He said. Eli smiled at his team. "Instead of using Hop Rocks, it'll be quicker to use Flaringos and burn these trees down!" He and his friends loaded and fired their Flaringos. Eli, Kord, Harley and Trixie quickly fired Chiller, Iceberg, Frostbite and Blizzard and froze the Flaringos in blocks of ice. Sid got miffed and slung a Hop Rock at the gang. They quickly spread out to find some cover and fire back. Pronto bounced off a mushroom. Trixie swung around a tree and slung her Rammstone, Pounder. Sid dodged and fired an Armashelt. Eli tried to dodge but he got caught in the blast force. The hunters fired more Hop Rocks. One of them almost taking Kord's head off as he fired a slug of his own. Mario fired Ricochet and he bounced off one of the trees and into the back of the one hunter's head.

Eli and Trixie took cover behind a mushroom and 2 more Hop Rocks completely demolished it. Eli and Trixie were back to back. "How 'bout next time Eli, I do the talking?" Trixie asked. "Absolutely." Eli agreed as they ducked down from another Hop Rock. Vance slung his Vindrill, Bloom, at the female hunter, who was charging towards him, hitting her with Itchypants and making her itch. Sid and his partner fired a couple of Tazerlings, heading straight for Pronto. "Pronto! Tazerlings! Behind you!" Kord yelled. Pronto didn't even try to dodge them. He just kept running straight as he got hit with Tazerbolts. "On it!" Eli called as he fired Suds. Suds swallowed the Tazerlings, but the shocks caused her to float out of control and into Pronto, shocking him again. "Ooh! That didn't work." Eli muttered. Suds and the Tazerlings landed back into their protoforms. Suds shook off the shocks while the Tazerlings glared at her. "Sorry about that!" Eli called. Pronto stood up from behind a rock. "K, I want to go home now." He said in a dizzy state.

Sid glanced at a tree which Eli hid behind. "Look! I think I saw the Enigmo crawl under there!" He said as he slung another Hop Rock and his partners slung 2 Flaringos and an Armashelt. "Uh-oh!" Eli said as he was blown away. "Bro!" Kord called. A leaf gently floated down at Sid's feet. "Ah, never mind! Just a crummy leaf." Sid said.

Eli crashed back first, upside down into a tree and tumbled to the ground. "Okay. That was not cool!" He said, getting up. Burpy looked and chittered to Eli, pointing at a trap. "Whoa! And _that_ is a serious trap." He added. He then noticed something rustling in the mushrooms. A little blue and black slug with a mushroom on his head was clumsily spinning on a red mushroom, then hung over the trap. Eli gasped in shock and grabbed the slug before it could fall in the trap. The mushroom on its head fell into the trap, clamping shut. "And that is really not cool!" Eli said, looking from the trap to the slug he rescued. "Huh. What kind of slug are you?" He asked with a smile.

Eli walked back to the battle field, where the gang and the hunters were still slinging their slugs at each other. "Hey! HEY!" Eli tried calling, but they just ignored him. Eli slung his new Phosphoro, Glimmer, into the sky, getting everyone's attention with Arcalyte. "Lots of slugs live here! Not just the Enigmo! You're tearing their cave to shreds!" He then showed them the trap he found. "And look at this! It could've killed this slug!" He said as the little slug he found fell from his shoulder to his hand. "Uh, Eli? _That's_ the Enigmo." Trixie revealed, making Pronto gasp. Eli looked at the slug in shock. "And that is _my_ trap." A voice came from the jungle. 2 big dogs came from the foliage as a big man with scars on his arms, a mohawk of sorts and a crossbow blaster on his right arm jumped down to the ground. "Stalker?! D-Didn't know you were here too. W-We won't get in your way." Sid said in fear. "Leave! Now." The man growled, making the hunters run away screaming.

Eli looked at the guy. "So, you wanna do the talking this time?" He asked Trixie. "Are you crazy?! That's Gerhard Stalker, the deadliest game hunter in all of Slugterra!" Trixie said. "He doesn't do talking." "Yeah. Last person who tried standing up to him, became dinner for his slug hounds." Mario said. "Or, so they say." Vance corrected. "They also say if you see him, it's already too late." Kord added. "Hence why he's called SBD. Silent but Deadly." Pronto finished. Eli and Harley started laughing. "Sorry guys. But where we're from, silent but deadly means something else." Eli said. The Gang began to shrink in fear. "He's right behind me, isn't he?" Eli asked. Pronto shook his head. The hounds began to growl, making Harley cower behind Kord. 'Big dogs. Big dogs!' He thought out of fear. "The Enigmo slug and my trap. Now." Stalker demanded. "Hey. I found him fair and square, before he fell in your trap!" Eli said tossing the trap at Stalker's feet. "I didn't come here to play fair." Stalker said, prepping his crossbow. "I came for the slug with the 2-ton payday. And no one, not even a Shane offspring is gonna stop me." He fired a Thresher at the gang. They dodged as the slug shredded up a mushroom. "I knew you should've done the talking." Eli said to Trixie. "Yeah, maybe I should have." Trixie agreed with a blush. Kord and Pronto tried slinging Sploder and Stinky, but Stalker whistled for his hounds. They caught the slugs in their mouths before they could reach velocity and tossed them away. The hounds started to chase Kord, Mario, Vance and Pronto.

Eli looked back at Stalker, who slung a Flaringo. "Split up!" Eli said. He and Trixie split up as the Flaringo hit the ground between them. Eli rolled to face Stalker. "You want this slug?" He held up a barrel and the Enigmo toppled into it. "Ok. Well, here it comes!" He loaded the barrel and fired the slug. Stalker fired an Arachnet and bounced it right back. The Enigmo transformed and hit Eli in the face. "Eli!" Harley called. The Enigmo fumbled to the ground and Stalker started to walk to it. But then, Trixie fired Twirl at Stalker. The deadly game hunter saw and ran, making the Polero wrap around a mushroom. Eli sat up and groaned from being hit. Harley and Trixie ran up to him. "You okay, bro?" Harley asked. "I missed it when you fired the Enigmo. You gotta tell us what it looked like when it transformed!" Trixie said eagerly as Harley helped Eli up. "I can't." Eli said. "Why not?" Trixie asked. "Because I kinda couldn't see it!" Eli answered. His sight was messed up. Doubles of Trixie and Harley were swerving around.

* * *

Kord, Vance, Pronto and Mario were still being chased by the hounds. The hounds heard Stalker whistle and broke off to rejoin their master. The 4 regrouped with Eli, Harley and Trixie. "Where'd they go?" Kord asked. "Don't ask me." Eli said. "Guys, Eli git hit by the Enigmo and now his eyes aren't working right!" Trixie said in a panic. "Actually, I can see plenty." Eli said. "In fact, I think I'm seeing twice as much as I should." Suddenly, the hounds ran straight for them. "Here they come!" Pronto called. Harley ducked behind a rock. "Big dogs! Why'd it have to be big dogs?!" He whispered out of fear. Eli readied his blaster, but with his sight a blur, he couldn't tell where the hounds were. So, he fired Rocky, but his aim was a little too high. The hounds moved aside as a Flaringo was slung. "Did I get em?" Eli asked. Trixie shoved Eli out of the way before the Flaringo could hit him. "I'll take that as a no!" Eli said as Trixie fired Bluster. Bluster created a Slyphoon, scaring the hounds away. Bluster morphed back and blew the hounds a raspberry.

"Come on." Trixie said, taking Eli's hand. Harley was still quivering behind the rock when Mario came up. "Are they gone?" Harley asked. "Yeah. They're gone." Mario said. Harley sighed in relief and stood up. "I would suggest we move along. Stalker could be anywhere." Pronto said. "I'm with him." Vance said. "Yeah. Right behind ya." Kord followed as the gang walked away.

* * *

They trekked deeper into the cavern. "Stalker is almost as legendary as Pronto." Pronto boasted, falling down a slope. "Yeah. But for entirely different reasons." Trixie joked. "Of course." Pronto said, popping up from some mushrooms. "Pronto is known for his undisputed magnificence. And Stalker is known for his traps. He's probably seeded this very cave with them. That is why you all must walk in the footsteps of Pronto's expert-" He triggered a cage trap and hung by a tree. Everyone giggled at his misfortune. "You see? I found one." Pronto said, trying to be positive. "That's some trap." Harley said. "Kord?" Kord walked up to the cage and examined it. "This locking mechanism's way high tech. But I think I see how to engineer a work around." He broke the branch off the tree and started to swing the cage against the tree, breaking the cage. "Thank you." Pronto said in a dizzy state. "Well, that was fun." Harley whispered to a snickering Vance and Mario.

Pronto got up and shook off the dizziness. "Well, I suggest that with Eli utterly and completely useless-" Pronto started to say. "Dude! I can still hear you know!" Eli said insulted. "Uh sorry." Pronto quickly apologized. "Anyway, I would still suggest we leave before Stalker could find us." "We can't leave! The Enigmo did this to Eli! And there's no telling if it will ever wear off on its own!" Trixie said, very worried about her blind boyfriend. The last part made Eli gasp. "We have to find the Enigmo to figure out how to cure him." "Yeah. If Stalker doesn't have it already." Kord said. "Oh, I assure you he does not." Pronto said. "And what makes you say that?" Harley asked. "Because it is right over there." Pronto said, pointing to the left. The gang turned to see. The Enigmo was walking on a tripwire, with little cannons aimed at it. "And it's playing on a tripwire!" Kord yelled. The Enigmo fell on the wire, triggering one of the cannons, which fired a little dart. "I got it!" Kord yelled, leaping at the slug. The dart hit his backhand. "You okay?" Eli asked in concern. "Just a slug tranq dart." Kord said, pulling out the dart. "You know how many of these it would take the bring down a cave troll?" The Enigmo, who was on his hand, slid from his hand and landed on the wire, triggering the other cannons and hitting Kord with more darts. "Yeah! That's about right." Kord said before passing out into tranquilized slumber. "Kord!" Eli called. The wobbling wire slung the Enigmo into the distance. "Come on! We've got to get the Enigmo before Stalker does!" Trixie said, taking Eli's hand. "But we can't just leave him!" Eli said in concern for Kord. "Stalker wants the Enigmo, not Kord! He will be here when we come back." Pronto assured.

* * *

As they continued, Pronto sniffed around. "Ah. The Enigmo is close! Keep your eyes peeled." He said. "Currently the wrong guy for that job." Eli said, regarding his condition. "Maybe a little zoom action will help." Trixie said, pulling out her camera. "Good idea." Harley agreed, pulling out his binoculars. They looked around, noticing the Enigmo on top of a mushroom. "Yes! There it is!" Trixie said. Harley took a look at the Enigmo's movements. "Man! Look at the way it moves! It's like it's drunk!" He pointed out. "Is this the dumbest slug in history?! No wonder there's only one of them left." Trixie groaned.

The Enigmo looked down from the mushroom. It was poised above another bear trap. "It's gonna fall!" Trixie called. "We got it!" Mario said. He and Vance ran towards the mushroom. But Mario tripped off a tree root and landed on Vance, triggering another cage trap. The Enigmo fell, bounced off some other mushrooms and slid into the tree, avoiding the trap. Vance and Mario sighed in relief as the Enigmo waddled off. "Vance! Mario!" Eli called. "We're okay kid!" Mario said. "It's all on you guys now. Go!" Vance said. The last 4 took off after the Enigmo.

As the 4 looked everywhere, the Enigmo noticed a worm and crawled over to it. The worm ducked back into its hole, making the Enigmo sad. "There it is!" Pronto pointed as the Enigmo tried to crawl into the hole. Suddenly, growling was heard as Stalker's hounds appeared. "Big dogs!" Harley whispered with fear. "Be still. Slug hounds track only frightened prey." Pronto explained. "So, if we stay still and show no fear, they will not menace us." Harley started to sweat. "That's gonna be hard for me." Harley said. "Why's that?" Trixie asked. "Because Harley's afraid of big dogs." Eli said. "It happened when we were 6 years old." "I had a very bad run-in with some strays. Would've been dog chow if Dad and Eli hadn't come to my rescue. Left me scarred for life." Harley explained. "Just give it a try! This is our one shot at getting the Enigmo." Pronto whispered.

Harley looked back and forth from the Enigmo and the hounds. Knowing Pronto was right, he took a deep breath and stood his ground. The hounds stopped in their tracks, not sensing any fear. "There! You see?" Pronto asked. "_I _can't!" Eli whispered. "Right. Sorry. Now, we go for the Enigmo. Uh, with confidence." Pronto was about to move when the hounds started growling. "Just ignore the hound's razor-sharp teeth. Their piercing eyes. Their claws that could so easily rip you to shreds." He chuckled nervously. The hounds growled even more. Pronto screamed, causing the hounds to charge. "Okay! That proves it! I'm outta here!" Harley screamed following Pronto as the hounds chased them. As Pronto and Harley ran, they fell into a pit trap. "Help! Let us out!" Pronto yelled as the trap sealed up. "Let us outta here!" Harley shouted. The hounds stopped at the trap and started scratching it.

"Pronto! Harley!" Trixie cried. "What happened? Did they get the Enigmo?" Eli asked. "Yes." A voice came from behind them. Eli and Trixie turned to see Stalker. And he was holding the Enigmo. "I did." Eli and Trixie glared.

* * *

Stalker placed the Enigmo in one of his empty barrels, whistled for his hounds and started to walk away. "So that's it? You're just gonna walk away?" Eli asked. Stalker stopped. "Finish them." He ordered. His hounds turned on the 2. "Uh wait. I wasn't complaining. I was just asking." Eli protested. The hounds charged. "Eli, what do we do?" Trixie asked. Burpy chirped. "Don't worry guys. Just gotta show them we're not afraid." Eli said, taking Burpy's barrel from his belt, but had trouble loading it due to his sight. "Course, that'd be easier if I wasn't quite so scared." As the hounds closed in, Eli finally loaded the barrel and fired Burpy at his feet, creating a fire ring. When it died down, Eli and Trixie were gone. Stalker and his hounds looked for them. One hound suddenly started barking up a tree. Stalker looked to see Eli and Trixie zipping on a web onto a limb. Stalker smirked.

Eli and Trixie had their backs to the tree. "Good thing dogs can't climb trees." Eli said in relief. Trixie was about to say something but got interrupted by the sight of the hounds climbing. "Yeah. Actually, slug hounds can." She said. That shocked Eli. "Chiller! Spinner! I need you." Eli called to his slugs. He loaded Chiller and fired him towards the ground. Chiller used his Deepfreeze attack to create an ice slide. "Spinner? You're up." He loaded Spinner and fired her at Chiller. She latched onto Chiller and shot her web at Eli's blaster. "Hold on tight, Trixie." Trixie wrapped her arms tightly around Eli's waist as Chiller and Spinner pulled them. The hounds followed them onto the slide, while Stalker chased after them on foot.

Fortunately, the hounds slid right off the bridge, right into a tree. As he chased them, Stalker fired a Rammstone, smashing the part of the bridge in between Eli and his slugs. Spinner took notice and hopped off Chiller onto a mushroom. Eli and Trixie swung from their spot, but Stalker fired a Thresher and sliced through Spinner's web, sending the 2 falling. Eli and Trixie slid down some big leaves towards the ground, losing their blasters and slug barrels in the process. Eli looked around. "Burpy? Trixie? Guys? Anybody?" He called. He stopped, looking at Burner, who in Eli's vision was giving off some kind of aura. Eli tried to crawl to his slug but stopped when he grabbed Stalker's boot. Eli looked up. "No slugs. No friends." Stalker kicked Eli away. "Eli!" Trixie cried. "Give it up kid. You're done!" Stalker said as Eli got up. He grabbed Eli and pulled him close. "Can't you see that?" "Nope. I can't really see much of anything thanks to the Enigmo." Eli said before Stalker shoved him back down. Trixie raced over to him. Burpy growled from on top of a tree branch.

"And if you leave with the Enigmo, you're taking the best shot I have to fix that and find my way out. And find my friends and my brother." Eli continued as Burpy hopped over to Stalker's crossbow. Burpy chittered to the Enigmo to switch barrels with a Thresher at the front. "I know that slug is worth a ton of gold to you, but it's worth more than that to me." Eli said as he stood up. "So, as long as I can stand, I'm not giving up." Trixie stood by him. "Neither am I." She said. Stalker just sneered. "You talk too much." He said as he prepped his blaster. "And who knows? After I get paid for the Enigmo, I wonder how much Dr. Blakk will pay for your head."

Eli turned to Trixie. "You should get out of here, Trix." He said. "No! I'm not leaving you!" Trixie talked back. Eli shook his head, knowing when her mind was made up. "Then I guess I'm glad the last thing I see, or kinda see, is you." He said. Trixie was about to tear up. She was also about to lean forward to kiss him but stopped to notice what Stalker had loaded. She jumped out of the way as Stalker fired the Enigmo.

The Enigmo transformed and hit Eli in the face again. Burpy chittered in success. "What?! That's not what I wanted!" Stalker said in disbelief and shock. Trixie ran over as Eli sat up. "I can see!" Eli shouted. Trixie happily pulled him into a tight hug. Eli felt happy, until he noticed Stalker prepping his blaster again. "Maybe too much." He muttered. Trixie pulled away to see what he meant. Eli and Trixie saw their blasters behind them and Stalker aiming a Rammstone at them. They made a break for their blasters as Stalker fired the Rammstone. It transformed and sent its Slabhenge attack right towards Eli and Trixie. They got their blasters as the Slabhenge knocked them down. Stalker saw his chance and ran for the Enigmo. Eli and Trixie saw that their blasters were empty, and that Stalker was going for the Enigmo. Eli ran towards the Enigmo. Stalker saw Eli, prepped his blaster and aimed at Eli, but Burpy hopped onto his wrist and ignited the blaster in flames. Stalker tried to shake off the fire but got thrown back by the blaster's kick.

Burpy skidded onto the ground and hopped over to Eli, who was picking up the Enigmo. Stalker sneered. "You may have traps hidden all over, but I've got the best secret weapon in this cave." Eli said, giving Burpy a barrel to hop into. Stalker looked at Burpy and smiled slyly. "If I can't bring Blakk your head, then I'll give him your Infurnus." He said prepping his blaster. Eli did not like that. He loaded Burpy into his blaster and fired him. Stalker fired a Hop Rock. Burpy brought the Hop Rock down with Flashfire and bashed into Stalker, trapping him in his own cage trap. Stalker started shouting in anger. "Whoa! Sure glad you make good traps there, buddy." Eli said. "Now, got anything to say to Enigmo before you _never_ see him again?" Stalker just grunted, trying to bust out of his cage. "Didn't think so. Come on guys. Let's grab our friends and get out of here." Eli suggested. "Right behind you, Eli." Trixie said, putting her arm on Eli's shoulder as they walked away. "No one traps Stalker! I'll get out of here Shane! And when I do, you and your team will pay!" Stalker shouted. "Oh, they will pay, Mr. Stalker." A voice assured. Stalker turned his head to see the last person he expected to see. "Dr. Blakk!" He said in shock. "It would appear that not even the most feared and dangerous game hunter can beat a Shane." Blakk pointed out. "But I can help you change that. Join me and revenge will be yours." Stalker thought about this offer. "I'm listening." Stalker said.

* * *

Soon after freeing the others, the gang were on their way back to their mecha beasts. "So, wait. The most legendary slug of legend basically just messes your eyes up? And then fixes them when it hits you again?" Kord asked in disbelief. "But, imagine hitting the other guy with it first. It would totally take him out of the fight!" Trixie said, spazzing out on the effects the Enigmo would have in a duel. "And even though I couldn't see straight, it was almost like it was letting me see more than normal. Like it was showing me something else." Eli said. "Like what?" Harley asked. "Like when I was staring at Burner from afar, he gave of some kind of energy aura or something." Eli explained. "Ah. So, you're saying that there's more to Enigmo than meets the eye?" Kord asked, making a joke. Trixie shook her head and Harley facepalmed himself. "Well, yeah. If you wanna put it in the lamest way possible. Sure." Eli said, making Burpy giggle.

Pronto struggle through the jungle foliage. "I believe that our mechas should be right through there." He assumed. But they found the rich couples camp. "Oh. Now _this_ is a surprise." The man said. "I could say the same." Harley said. "Let me guess: you were expecting Stalker?" Trixie asked. "Heh! He might be a while." Kord said. "You're welcome to wait for him, but he doesn't have this." Eli said, holding up the Enigmo. The couple were impressed. "Well done! Name your price." The man offered. "Well, considering what me, my brother and all of our friends just went through, I don't think I'm leaving one of them behind." Eli decided, putting the Enigmo back on his shoulder, shocking the couple. "And as one of those friends, I say you're completely WRONG!" Pronto said. "Think of what that money could do! For Pronto." "Our card. For if you change your mind, Eli Shane." The woman said, giving Eli their calling card. "Thanks. Though you maybe waiting a while for that one too." Eli said walking away and pocketing the card. The couple looked on with smiles, knowing that Eli would never give up such a valuable slug or any slug for anything. "Uh, no you won't. I will convince him." Pronto assured with a sheepish smile. "Uh, Eli! Stop! Think of all the things we could buy." He called as the gang continued to walk away. "Foot massagers. Neck warmers! Ruby plated pimple poppers! Fluffy stuffed tushy pillows?"

As the gang prepared their mechas to leave, Trixie saw Eli sitting by the cliff. "Harley? You and the others head back to the hideout. We'll catch up." She said to Harley. Harley nodded, knowing what she meant. He led the others out of the cavern. Trixie sat next to Eli. "That was very sweet, what you said about Mo back there." She said. "I know. Slugs are people too, you know." Eli reminded. "And Mo here's the presumed last of his kind. No way I was gonna sell him either way." Trixie smiled, looking at the jungle. Eli then remembered something. "Hey. Can I ask you something?" He asked "Sure." Trixie said. "Before Stalker hit me with Mo, were you about to-?" Trixie blushed, knowing what Eli meant. "Well, uh, that was before I knew Stalker had Mo loaded." She said. "You could've got away with it, what with my sight and all." Eli said. "I know. But, didn't want to. Because it wasn't perfect." Trixie said. "Perfect?" Eli asked. "Yeah. If it ever came to that, I'd want that moment to be perfect." Trixie explained. Eli chuckled and looked out into the jungle. "Well, this seems perfect to me." Eli suggested. "Yeah. I guess it is." Trixie agreed. And without another second thought, they leaned in and kissed for the first time.

**Aww! Wasn't that moment with Eli and Trixie romantic in the ending? And also, the gang's got one of the most legendary slugs in the world in their arsenal. And Stalker is now in league with Blakk. More surprises are on the way. Leave a review if you want.**

**Oh! And sorry I didn't add Vance's slugs in the last chapter. Didn't have names yet. But, here's a couple names now.**

**Slug Arsenal:**

**Eli Shane: Burpy (Infurnus), Joules (Tazerling), Noodle (Flopper), Banger (Armashelt), Bolo (Polero), Rammer (Rammstone), Rocky (Hop Rock), Chiller (Frostcrawler), Burner (Lavalynx), Suds (Bubbaleone), Goober (Jellyish), Sparky (Grenuke), Doc (Boon Doc), Larry (Lariat), Gust (Tormato), Buzzsaw (Thresher), Digger (Crystalid), Spinner (Arachnet), Mucky (Dirt Urchin), Tangles (Vinedrill), Spooker (Frightgeist), Charger (Fandango), Stunts (Speedstinger), Glimmer (Phosphoro), Mo (Enigmo)**

**Harley Shane: Matchstick (Flaringo), Squirm (Flopper), Frostbite (Frostcrawler), Webs (Arachnet), Gels (Jellyish), Zipper (Hoverbug), Ivy (Vinedrill), Masher (Rammstone), Frights (Frightgeist), Shredder (Thresher)**

**Trixie Sting: Bluster (Tormato), Blizzard (Frostcrawler), Spider (Arachnet), Twirl (Polero), Balloon (Bubbaleone), Haunter (Frightgeist), Pounder (Rammstone)**

**Kord Zane: Bludgeon (Rammstone), Sploder (Hop Rock), Jolt (Tazerling), Trip (Polero), Flycatcher (Arachnet), Floatie (Bubbaleone), Iceberg (Frostcrawler)**

**Pronto Geronimo: Stinky (Flatulorhinkus), Slimey (Jellyish), Soapy (Bubbaleone), Bruiser (Rammstone)**

**Vance Volt: Blast (Hop Rock), Bloom (Vinedrill)**

**Mario Bravado: Ricochet (Speedstinger)**


	12. Undertow

**Alright, chapter 12! I tell you, my writings have no end! Enjoy!**

Chapter 12: Undertow

The Shane Gang (minus Pronto) were on the run as a building behind them blew up with firework explosions. "You know, I thought about it. Blowing up Blakk's refinery without a plan wasn't smart." Eli said. "_Now_ you're having second thoughts?!" Kord asked as a ghoul was shot from behind them. "Nope. Just that it wasn't smart." Eli admitted. "Maybe so but come on, the fireworks were awesome!" Harley said.

3 of Blakk's guards were on their tails, firing 3 Hop Jacks. As the gang turned a corner, Eli noticed Pronto waving to them. So, the gang turned down Pronto's alley before the guards made the corner. When the guards were gone, Pronto gave a thumbs up. Everyone sighed in relief. Even Burpy gave a big burst of flame. "It was pretty cool when the place went-" Trixie started until Kord started imitating a bomb couting down and exploding. "Yeah. That was awesome!" Mario whispered. "Now, we just need to quietly slip out of this cavern and we're home free." Eli said. "One problem with that, Eli." Trixie said. "How are we supposed to slip out with these everywhere?" She pointed to a wall filled with wanted posters of the gang. But the big difference was that the gang were drawn to look like rebellious punks. Pronto took a look at one of his posters. "Okay, you know what? This is unacceptable." Pronto said, feeling insulted. "Even Pronto thinks this is bad." Trixie said. "Bad? It's horrible!" Pronto said looking at the poster. "Where is the bravado? The genius?" He took out a marker and started redrawing on the poster, making himself look more devilishly handsome. "See? Now _that_ is a wanted poster." Pronto said. Everyone just stared with unamused faces. "Well, it _is_ an improvement over the real thing." Harley joked, giggling along with Vance and Mario, earning a glare from Pronto.

"Hate to rush an artist at work, but we need an exit." Eli reminded his so-called tracker. "Which is precisely why I, in my wisdom, have led us here." Pronto said. "Uh, to a dead end?" Kord asked in confusion. "No Kord! Not to a dead end!" Pronto said insulted. He walked over to Fernando and gave him a tap. The donkey mecha hind-kicked the dumpster behind him to reveal a hidden doorway. "To our daring escape route." Pronto said as the door opened. Everyone looked at it impressed.

They traveled down some tunnels until they reached an underground river. "What is this place?" Eli asked. "Why the Flumes, of course. The under river." Pronto said. "You know, I was quite the nautical mole in my day." "And what day was that?" Kord asked. "Mmm, I think it was a Tuesday." Pronto guessed. "I've heard of this place. A water way under Slugterra." Trixie said, filming the Flumes. "Most people stopped using it when I was a kid." "Why?" Harley asked. "No one knows, dude." Mario answered. Suddenly, there was a noise behind them. They turned to see a light coming from the tunnel. "They're coming!" Trixie called. "And we've got nowhere to run." Eli said, seeing no way to escape.

* * *

**(Intro)**

* * *

The gang got worried as their enemy got closer. "What do we do?" Trixie asked. "Leave our mechs and swim for it?" Eli suggested as Burpy jumped to his barrel. "I've got a better idea." Kord said pushing a button on Wyatt. The boar mecha then jumped to the water and its hooves turned into 3 water skis and zipped around the water like a jet ski. "Cool." Eli said. "Amazing." Harley agreed. "Wow." Trixie added. "Show-off." Pronto said. "I modded yours too. The yellow button." Kord said as the goons closed in, blasters ready. Trixie, Pronto, Vance and Mario jumped their mechas into the water, activating their skis. One of the goons fired a Hop Jack at the Shane brothers, but they jumped and activated their mechas skis, zipping away with the rest of the team down the Flumes. "The Shane Gang are headed South in the Flumes." The middle goon reported into a headset.

The gang continued down the Flumes. "I didn't know our mecha beasts could shred like this." Eli said, impressed with the new mods. "Oh, there's a lot these babies can do." Kord said, flinching from the water spraying him as Mario zipped past. "I just wish they could also keep me dry." "Dude, for real? You don't like water?" Eli asked in disbelief. "Let's just say I take 1 bath a year and it's under protest, alright?" Kord explained. "Yes. And _I_ protest you taking only _1_ bath a year." Pronto said in disgust. Kord smiled sheepishly. "So, hardly anyone uses the Flumes anymore? Why?" Eli asked. "Bah. Who wants wet wetty wetness, when you can ride in luxury on the Slugterran Express?" Pronto said dreamily. "I might've known." Harley said.

Suddenly, 4 goons on 3 bull mechas caught up to them, making Pronto gasp in horror. One of the goons fired a Grimmstone ghoul past Pronto's head. Trixie fired one slug while Eli fired Rammer. The goons dodged. The same goon fired a Hop Jack at a stalactite, nearly crushing Trixie, who serpentined around. "Hey! That's my girlfriend!" Eli yelled, firing Tangles at the 2 goons, covering them with Itchypants. They got distracted by the itching, they failed to see a big rock in their path. They ramped off it and into the water.

The gang hid in a nearby cave. Eli shushed them as the other 2 goons zipped by. Eli motioned his team further into the cave. Kord looked back to see that the goons were at the cave entrance. "Eli?" He called. Eli readied his blaster. The goons just laughed and zipped off. "Uh, what's their deal?" Kord asked confused. Pronto took notice of something. "If we have stopped, why are we still moving?" He asked in worry. "Think we're about to find out." Eli said, seeing the problem. They were floating towards a waterfall. "Turn back! Go! Go!" They tried to speed away, but the current was too strong. They went over the waterfall, into an unknown cavern.

The mechas resurfaced first, drifting into the cavern. Eli surfaced, gasping for air. The rest soon followed, climbing aboard their mechas, panting and coughing from being underwater. "No need to worry." Pronto assured. "Pronto's brilliant nautical sense tells him the worst is over." That is until a boat horn was heard. Pronto turned to see and gasped at the sight. A ship was sailing towards them, stopping beside them. "Oh, you _had_ to say it." Harley said, glaring at Pronto. Pronto just shrugged in innocence. "Hands in the air, princesses!" A voice onboard called. On deck, a bunch of fishmen called amphibanoids aimed their blasters at the gang. "You trespassers face Malvolio Drake, master of the cavern seas!" Their leader, a blue amphibanoid with a cyber eyepatch announced. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa! Wait! So, we didn't mean to trespass. We just kind of ended up here." Eli tried to reason. "Ha! Here is Undertow Cavern, princesses, where the business belongs to yours truly." Drake said. "What business is that?" Trixie asked. "What do I look like to you? An accountant? A basket weaver?" Drake asked, making his crew laugh. Trixie and Pronto looked at each other and back in worry. "I don't like where this is heading." Harley muttered to his brother in worry. "I'm in the pirate racket. And if you want to pass, the ransom is half your slugs." Drake explained. Burpy, Doc and Suds chittered angrily from their barrels. "And if we refuse?" Eli asked. "Then I'll be a few slugs more, and you'll be SHARK CHOW!" Drake yelled. That made Pronto flinch. "Not if they can catch us!" Eli said, speeding away from the ship, followed by the gang.

"That's the plan Eli?" Kord asked as the ship started to turn. "Come on! Our mechas gotta be faster than a huge, honking boat like that." Eli said. "I don't think the ship is trying to catch up to us." Trixie said, looking behind her. And she was right. The ship was stopping at its side. "Mr. Watts!" Drake called. "Yes Captain?" One of his shipmates answered. "Show them what a barrage of Frostcrawlers can do!" Drake ordered. 2 more shipmates readied a couple of cannons on their ship. "They got cannons?!" Eli asked in shock. "Please tell me they don't fire-" The crew fired the cannons. "Slugs!" Trixie yelled as a couple of Frostcrawlers transformed and hit the water in front of them. Ice pillars started to form where the slugs hit. Trixie fired her Thresher, Slicer, and Kord fired Bludgeon. But since they were so far from the ship, Bludgeon and Slicer landed in the water. "We put so much distance between us, we're out of range." Trixie said. "I think-" "Don't say it." Eli muttered. "-we're in the clear!" 3 more Frostcrawlers were fired in front of them, forming a wall. "We've got to stop saying that kind of stuff!" Eli said. "Sorry." Trixie apologized with an embarrassing blush.

Eli turned around and headed back to the ship. The gang looked confused at what he was doing. Eli readied his blaster, loaded with Burpy. "Ready Burpy?" Eli asked. Burpy chittered as he was fired. Drake looked shocked as the Infurnus came at them and destroyed the cannons. "Well, that was exactly what I was going to do." Pronto lied as he looked on. Harley and Kord looked at each other and rolled their eyes. Eli whistled and Burpy hopped down from the cannon. "Not so tough without your cannons, huh?" Eli taunted. But suddenly, 6 more cannons opened up from the hull. "Can I take that back?" Eli sheepishly asked as he sped off to his gang. "Give them everything we got!" Drake called as the cannons fired AquaBeeks. "Oh no." Pronto said. "RUN!" Eli yelled as the slugs hit the water. The AquaBeeks started to swim after them. "AquaBeeks! On our 6!" Mario called. The gang tried to get away, but the AquaBeeks were much faster in water. The slugs swam upwards and knocked the entire gang off their mechas and into the water with their Aquajets.

* * *

The gang were dropped on deck. Eli tried to draw his blaster, but 2 of the crew aimed their blasters at him and motioned him to give them his blaster, which he did. "Okay! We've considered your offer and we'll happily give you some of our slugs now." Pronto said, trying to reason with the pirates. "Ha! Nice try mole-face, but the price has gone up." Drake said in amusement. "Now, it's all your slugs!" That made Pronto gasp. "And your enthusiastic servitude. Nothing personal princesses." The crew dropped some mops and buckets at the gang, making them glare.

Soon enough, the entire Shane Gang were cleaning the entire ship. "This can't get any worse." Trixie said, scrubbing the plank. "Yeah it can" Kord groaned, hanging from one foot on a hook, cleaning a porthole. "I can't feel my toes." Eli, Harley, Pronto, Mario and Vance were mopping and scrubbing the deck. "I'd much rather be scrubbing pots in the galley." Mario complained. "And my mecha." Vance added. "I'm pretty sure some these barnacles have barnacles." Eli said. "Eli's right. This is impossible!" Harley added. "Well, that is because on a ship, you must scrub counter-clockwise." Pronto said, accidently smacking Harley with his mop. "Now listen to me, and I will tell you in excruciating detail exactly what you're doing wrong and how I know better." "And you said this couldn't get any worse." Eli muttered. "Day's still young." Harley muttered. "Attention deck monkeys! Captain Drake on deck!" Watts called as Drake marched on deck. The crew stood at attention. Eli and Harley were bumped by a big red amphibanoid named Fang, who growled at them. "I thought you said this wasn't personal." Eli said, recalling Drake's words. "Don't flatter yourself princess. Making you do my chores for me is just another day at the office." Drake said. "Must be quite the office if he's living in _this_ cavern." Vance whispered. "Doesn't seem like _you're_ doing a good job though." Drake quoted on Eli's poor work. "That's what Pronto was saying." Pronto complained. "It should be done counter-clockwise." "Oh, will you SHUT UP!" Harley yelled, shoving Pronto into some barrels. Drake and his crew laughed at the sight. "Now these 2 are wasted on deck monkey dutites." Drake said. "You see? A man who recognizes seafaring skills." Pronto boasted. "Yeah, I do, and you don't got any." Drake said. "He's got that right." Harley muttered. Pronto growled and stomped on Harley's foot. "OW! HEY!" "But on the cold empty sea, good distractions are hard to find. How would you 2 like to be my new cabin boy and cabin mole?" Drake offered. "A promotion!" Pronto gasped with excitement. 'I don't like where this is going.' Harley thought.

Pronto and Harley walked with Drake. "So, what sort of perks come with the titles?" Pronto asked. "The perk of not being tossed to the sharks over that there plank!" Drake referred over to the plank where one crew member was about to be tossed overboard. "Give him the heave ho boys." They shoved the crew member into the water. "Oh, that's cold!" The crew member said, landing in the water. "In that case, we humbly accept." Pronto accepted. "For now at least." Harley muttered. Drake opened up a door to the cargo bay. "Now then, the reason I graced you lot with my presence, it's time to get down to the real business." Drake said going down the stairs. Eli, Trixie, Kord, Vance and Mario watched, until Fang appeared behind them and motioned them to follow.

The cargo bay was loaded with crates and cells with slugs. "Of all my ill-gotten treasure, this is the prize of my collection." Drake said, walking up to a closet. He opened it, revealing dozens of jars of toenails. "Behold! Every toenail clipping I've had since pirate school. Beautiful ain't it?" Eli just shuddered. Mario averted his eyes. Harley was about to puke. "Why would you do that?" Trixie asked in shock. "Because every part of me is special. Toenails are no exception." Drake answered. He moved away from a cell door, revealing Burpy, along with Doc, Sparky, Charger, Suds and Rammer. "Burpy! You guys ok?" Eli asked in worry. Burpy sadly shook his head. The other slugs looked just as sad. "You've got hundreds of slugs in there! What do you even need them all for?" Eli asked. "For? For having the most slugs. That's how you play the pirate game. The guy with the most slugs wins." Drake explained. The slug on Drake's shoulder hopped down and glanced at the slugs in pity. Eli grabbed the slug. "Don't!" He yelled. Fang growled. "Stay away from my Mimkey, princess." Drake warned, snatching his slug back. "This little guy's more valuable then all you deck monkeys put together." Mimkey just shook his head. "And don't even think about trying anything other than cataloging my collection! Fang will be watching you." Drake said as he walked away. "Now get to work deck monkeys!" "So, uh just deck monkeys then. Not cabin moles or cabin boys." Pronto said. "Oh no. I've got something better for you and your friend, mole-face." Drake said. "Ooh. Better?" Pronto asked intrigued.

It was not better. Pronto was holding to the plank for dear life as the crew tried to shake him overboard. "Pronto does not want to be cabin mole anymore! Make it stop! MAKE IT STOP!" Proto shouted in a panic. Harley got the worst of it. He was stuck giving Drake a pedicure. "How'd I get stuck doing this?" He asked in disgust. "Because you've got meatier hands than mole-face there, princess." Drake answered. "And besides, he was taking up space on the ship anyway." Drake suddenly took notice to a ship from Blakk Industries pulling up.

"Okay, so even if we got past Fang, our mechas are locked away and we're surrounded by sharks and pirates." Trixie said holding up a jar of toenails. "Yeah. And worst of all, while we're down here, your brother and Pronto are up there partying." Kord said writing on a clipboard. Fang just watched, annoyed with their talking. "This isn't neither Pronto or Harley's fault. It's mine. I got us into this by attacking that refinery without a plan." Eli said regretfully while stacking another jar. "YOU ARE HARBORING PERSONS WANTED BY DR. BLAKK. TURN THEM OVER AND YOU WILL NOT BE HARMED." A voice on an intercom called from Blakk's ship. Fang shut the door and locked it before heading up on deck. "Sounds like an opportunity to make an exit." Trixie said. "I'm ready to blow this joint." Mario agreed. "Wait! Maybe we should come up with a plan first?" Eli suggested. "What do you have in mind?" Vance asked. "Fire cannons!" Drakes voice called from on deck. "How's this for a plan: HANG ON!" Kord yelled, bracing himself. The vibrations from being fired on rocked the ship, sending everyone tumbling to the ground. As Eli recovered, he noticed the cell doors deactivating. Kord tried to open the door. "It's locked. We're trapped. "Burpy! You guys alright?" Eli asked, entering the cell. "Burpy?" His slugs were gone. He looked through the crack in the wall, seeing Blakk's ship firing ghouls. "It's one of Blakk's ships." He said.

Burpy led his teammates up the hull onto the deck. After avoiding getting stepped on they made their way to Harley. "Burpy!" Harley said in relief. "Listen, the others are locked down the cargo bay. Down there." He whispered, pointing them in the right direction. The slugs made their way down the stairs. "The only way we're getting out of here is if they blast us out." Kord said. Suddenly, a jingle came from the door. It opened to reveal Burpy and the others standing on each other. "Well, guess we can go now." Trixie said.

On deck, the ships were still firing at each other. One of Drake's cannons fired a Flaringo. One of Blakk's fired a Hop Jack. The ghoul knocked the slug down and impacted on the ship. Pronto looked on worried as another Hop Jack and a Terrarix were fired at them. The blowback sent Pronto backwards, accidently activating the crane, hooking his underpants and pulling him up, leaving him dangling by his underpants. "Uh, Mr. pirate? Get me down!" Pronto called. "Why? You're drawing their fire perfectly from up there." Drake said. Pronto whimpered as 3 more Hop Jacks were fired towards him. Pronto swung around to avoid them and grasped onto the post. "But I'm your cabin mole!" Pronto cried. "Yeah! And you're doing what cabin moles are good for: providing a distraction." Drake said as Blakk's cannons took aim at Pronto and fired more ghouls at him. The cannons on Drake's ship's hull prepped up and fired more slugs at the ship, sending Blakk's goons into the sea. "Your boss can't put Big Daddy Drake out of business with that trade of his! What makes you think you can start now? You losers better learn that what's mine stays MINE!" Drake yelled. "That's not exactly true sir." Watts said, seeing something in his spyglass. "The prisoners are escaping and they've got our treasure." The gang ziplined down to Blakk's ship, carrying the slug cages. "Well, except for the toenails." "They pirated _me_?! You don't pirate a pirate! That's a double pirate! BLAST THEM!" Drake ordered angrily. "We have to reload before we can fire." Watts said regretfully. "Then DO IT! NOW!" Drake yelled, making Watts flinch. As Drake walked away, Watts glared. 'I really hate working for that guy.'

Onboard Blakk's ship, Kord was trying to start up the engines, while Eli and the others kept watch. "Gotta get these running or we're not going anywhere." Kord said. "We'll cover you." Trixie said. They looked up at a still dangling Pronto. "Whadaya say? Think he's suffered enough?" Eli asked. "Yeah." Trixie said, firing Slicer to cut the rope. Pronto landed on a cannon. The crewman on the cannon smiled wickedly and shot Pronto off the cannon. Pronto landed on his head and rolled towards Eli, standing with a salute. "Cabin mole Pronto reporting for duty." He said in a daze before falling unconscious.

As Kord continued to fix up the engines, Drake stared off at them. "Cannons reloaded sir." Watts reported. "Mr. Watts, you know how I always say 'it's a waste to sink a ship when you can capture the crew?" Drake asked. "Yes sir." Watts said, knowing what his captain was planning. "Feel free to waste this one! None of them are getting out of this alive." He ordered cruelly.

* * *

"Ready. Aim. And fire!" Watts ordered. The cannons fired 2 Hop Rocks at the gang's ship. The impacts caused Kord to hit the engine with his head. As he was dazed, the engines activated. "Hey! We've got power!" Kord called in amazement. "Then let's go!" Eli said as he started the ship and sailed off. Drake saw this through his spyglass. "Blast them into pulp." He ordered. The ship fired its forward cannons, hitting the gang's ship from behind. Trixie fired her Hop Rock, Rocks, while Kord and Pronto fired their Flaringos, Scorch and Flame, sending most of the crew overboard. Eli cheered as he steered the ship starboard. Fang followed. Drake walked up to his helmsman. "Haven't seen a battle plan this poor since pirate school. Bring us 3 degrees starboard and we got them!" He ordered. Drake's ship closed in fast and prepped the left hull cannons. "He's gonna slug us to pieces!" Kord called as the cannons fired at the gang. "Alright. We're out gunned, out manned and facing a ship half our size. Don't worry, this time I've got a plan." Eli said. "Oh great! What is it this time bro?" Harley asked. "We lose them in that fog bank ahead. Hang on!" Eli called as he steered into the fog.

Watts saw the ship heading into the fog. "He's headed for the Breakers." He reported. "He'll never make it through. This fool is even more clueless than I thought." Drake said. "Put us around the other side. We'll clean up after." Watts continued to stare into the fog. 'Those kids are something else.' He thought.

As the gang steered deeper into the fog, Eli was feeling good about his new planning thing. "I should've tried this planning thing years ago." He said proudly. "Rocks!" Kord shouted. Rocks were coming into view. Eli tried to carefully steer around them, but the ship got scratched off the rocks. "Eli?" Kord called in worry. They were coming towards a big rock. Eli steered as hard as he could, but got grazed by the rock making everyone lose their balance, but also landed safely back into the water. Everybody shook off the shake as Harley checked the hull. "Oh, that definitely left a scratch." He reported. Eli turned to see that Drake's ship was dead ahead. Everybody gasped at the sight. "Oh man." Kord said worried. "What?!" Drake said in disbelief. Eli just grinned and sped up the ship. "Oh dear. That is not how you captain a ship." Drake said. "Seems to work for him." Watts said somewhat impressed.

Eli rammed the ship into Drake's, sending himself flying onto the deck. Eli looked up to a glaring Drake. "Uh, how's it going?" Eli asked. "Well, let's see: you stole my treasure, you broke my ship, but here's where I out-pirate you!" Drake said, pointing his blaster at Eli. Just then, the other ship pulled away, leaving a big hole in Drake's ship, with water pouring in. "Sir, she's going down." Watts called. "If we want to live to play the 'pirate game' another day-" "If my ship goes down, I go with it. And so does he!" Drake yelled, pointing at Eli. "Well, Captain's off the deep end boys. Unless you fancy being shark food, we've got to take that other boat." Watts suggested.

The rest of the pirates hopped down to the other ship and attacked the gang. Kord threw one overboard while Trixie flipped another. Vance and Mario push tripped another. Another jumped for Pronto, but he ducked down out of cowardice. Pronto looked to see that the crewman grabbed the cannon, but his weight dropped him down into the water. Pronto smiled and went on like he planned that maneuver. Kord just sighed, until he felt someone tap his shoulder. He turned to see a growling Fang.

Eli and Drake prepared to duel. "Alright Mimkey, this one's all yours." Drake said, holding up a barrel for Mimkey. Eli loaded Burpy as Drake loaded Mimkey. They fired at the same time. As Burpy transformed, Mimkey mimicked the transformation and they fired Flashfire at each other and ended in a firey stalemate, with Burpy laying on the ground. Eli looked on in confusion. "How did you-" "That's what a Mimkey does, princess. Perfectly mimics anything a slug can do." Drake explained. Eli sighed, thinking of a plan.

Meanwhile, Kord and Fang repeatedly threw punches at each other. Kord then threw himself under. Fang just laughed until Kord actually lifted Fang and threw him overboard. "Whoo-hoo!" Trixie suddenly shouted. "Look! There's our rides!" She pointed to the 7 mecha beasts floating out of the wreck. But then, Watts jumped in the way. "You're not getting away that easy." He said. Harley stepped forth. "Pardon me, but do you have a nose?" He asked. "Yes, I do actually." Watts answered confusedly. "Well, SMELL THIS!" Harley shouted, firing his own Flatulorhinkus, Smelly, in Watts' face. Watts went pale from the smell and fell backwards into the water.

"Relying on a powerful slug like that Infurnus is normally an excellent battle plan. But not when you're up against my Mimkey." Drake said. "Yeah? Well, I'm kinda new at this whole planning thing. Let's go." Eli said. He loaded Suds into his blaster. Drake reloaded Mimkey, thinking Eli was gonna try Burpy again. They fired and the slugs transformed. Suds and Mimkey bounced off each other's balloon-ish bodies, sending Mimkey back at Drake, trapping him in Mimkey's belly and bouncing into the water. "Get me out of here!" Drake yelled, struggling to get out. "Oh, did you honestly think I'd use Burpy again? Huh, I guess I'm getting better at this planning thing after all." Eli stated as Drake glared. "Hey, Eli!" Kord called as he rode up, dragging Lucky. Eli hopped down on to his wolf mecha. "So, what do you think of Drake's new boat?" He asked. "Cute." Trixie giggled. Pronto tapped the slug with his mop to get Drake's attention. "Your despicable behavior brings shame to the tradition of cabin moleling. So, I quit." He said, tossing the mop at the trapped pirate. "Remember: counter-clockwise." "Nothing personal, princess." Eli joked as he and his friends zipped away. Drake glared, noticing that they still had his captive slugs. "No! Me slugs! Come back with me treasure! You can't pirate a pirate!" He shrieked as sharks started to swim up to him as his crew.

As they continued, Eli noticed Harley wasn't with them. "Hey. Where's Harley?" He asked. A horn blared. The gang turned to see Blakk's ship, with Harley steering it. Harley noticed everyone staring at him. "What? You think I was gonna let this fine piece of equipment drift off to sea for Blakk to find? No way José." Eli just shook his head with a smile, knowing that the ship could be of help. Trixie sped up to Eli. "You know Eli, with all of Drake's captured slugs, you and Harley could have one heck of an arsenal." She said. "You're right. I could." Eli said, staring at the slugs in the cages. "But, that's not how _I_ play the pirate game."

* * *

In Quite Lawn Cavern, a small boy was playing with a ball, until he noticed his Tormato slug hop over to him. It jumped into his hugging arms and nuzzled him. The gang looked on. "So, how do you wanna get back home?" Eli asked. "I guess we could take the Flumes now that those pirates are out of business." Trixie suggested. "Oh no! No way!" Kord protested. "I've had enough water to last me 5 years with the showers. You really wanna smell what happens when I don't shower for 10?" Eli and Trixie looked at each other. "Let's take the road." Eli said quickly. "Yeah. Road." Trixie agreed. "I'm good with road." Mario added. "Me too." Vance said. "Road sounds good." Pronto agreed. "Road beats having to smell like a Flatulorhinkus." Harley said. Smelly insultedly chittered from his barrel. "Oh! Sorry Smelly." He quickly apologized. As the gang turned to head home, Eli waved at the boy, who waved back.

**That's it for this chapter. I swear, I thought I was never gonna finish this one. But I did. So, Malvolio Drake strikes and the Shane Gang gets a new boat, curtesy of Blakk Industries. What other surprises await our heroes? Wait and see. Leave a review if you'd like.**

**Slug Arsenal:**

**Eli Shane: Burpy (Infurnus), Joules (Tazerling), Noodle (Flopper), Banger (Armashelt), Bolo (Polero), Rammer (Rammstone), Rocky (Hop Rock), Chiller (Frostcrawler), Burner (Lavalynx), Suds (Bubbaleone), Goober (Jellyish), Sparky (Grenuke), Doc (Boon Doc), Larry (Lariat), Gust (Tormato), Buzzsaw (Thresher), Digger (Crystalid), Spinner (Arachnet), Mucky (Dirt Urchin), Tangles (Vinedrill), Spooker (Frightgeist), Charger (Fandango), Stunts (Speedstinger), Glimmer (Phosphoro), Mo (Enigmo)**

**Harley Shane: Matchstick (Flaringo), Squirm (Flopper), Frostbite (Frostcrawler), Webs (Arachnet), Gels (Jellyish), Zipper (Hoverbug), Ivy (Vinedrill), Masher (Rammstone), Frights (Frightgeist), Shredder (Thresher), Smelly (Flatulorhinkus)**

**Trixie Sting: Bluster (Tormato), Blizzard (Frostcrawler), Spider (Arachnet), Twirl (Polero), Balloon (Bubbaleone), Haunter (Frightgeist), Pounder (Rammstone), Slicer (Thresher), Rocks (Hop Rocks)**

**Kord Zane: Bludgeon (Rammstone), Sploder (Hop Rock), Jolt (Tazerling), Trip (Polero), Flycatcher (Arachnet), Floatie (Bubbaleone), Iceberg (Frostcrawler), Scorch (Flaringo)**

**Pronto Geronimo: Stinky (Flatulorhinkus), Slimey (Jellyish), Soapy (Bubbaleone), Bruiser (Rammstome), Flame (Flaringo)**

**Vance Volt: Blast (Hop Rock), Bloom (Vinedrill)**

**Mario Bravado: Ricochet (Speedstinger)**


	13. Dawn of the Slug

**Alright! Chapter 13! Enjoy!**

Chapter 13: Dawn of the Slug

The Shane Gang were riding towards Caverna Mall, the biggest mall and shopping center in Slugterra. "Wow! Now _that's_ a mall!" Eli said in awe. "You said it!" Harley agreed. "First stop: arcade! Got a high score to defend." Trixie said. "Yeah, you won't be so lucky this time." Kord assured. "I'm gonna head for the food court. I heard this chef made some delicious improvements to the pizza recipe I shared with him a few years back. And I wanna try some." Mario said. "Play your silly games and eat your silly pizza. Pronto is here on a mission." Pronto said. "Mission?" Kord asked in disbelief. "To acquire a new handbag." Pronto said, holding up an overstuffed handbag. Kord groaned. "What? I need more pockets." Pronto explained. "This was a great idea, guys. A little down time is exactly what we need." Eli said as the neared the mall.

"You're gonna love this place, Eli. It's got everything." Kord said as they entered. "Everything except people." Eli said, noticing that the mall was empty. "Are we early?" "Maybe it's closed." Trixie thought. "If it was closed, would we have just walked in?" Harley asked. Just then, there was a noise. Eli shushed his team and looked behind them. Zombies were coming towards them. "Well, that would explain it." Eli said. "Zombies."

* * *

**(Intro)**

* * *

As the zombies moved closer, Pronto started to freak out. "See Pronto bravely blaze a trail to safety!" He cried and tried to run away. Eli caught him and drew him back. "Every Halloween, me, Harley and our dad and mom would watch a zombie movie marathon together, so me and Harley know what we're talking about." Eli assured. "Right. First rule of zombie infestation: don't panic." Harley said. "What's the second rule?" Trixie asked. "Zombies are scary but slow and only dangerous in numbers." Eli explained. "If we make our way calmly to the exit, we should have no problem getting-" Eli couldn't finish, noticing more zombies run towards them. "Slow?! Your zombie rulebook needs an update, bro!" Kord said. "Never seen a zombie move that fast before!" Harley said. Eli looked up, seeing another zombie jump down in front of them. "Yeah. Rule number 3: RUN!" Eli yelled, taking off with his team as the zombies gave chase.

As they continued running, Eli looked back at the zombies. "Definitely not your usual mall invasion zombie." He said, pulling out his blaster and firing Chiller, putting the zombies in his Deepfreeze attack. They ran numerous corners. Kord slung Flycatcher, firing his web at a couple of zombies. 2 more zombies ran at them from the right. Trixie fired Rocks, sending them into the wall. As they continued to run, Eli saw a clothing store close by. "Rule 4: Find a good place to hide." He said. The zombies locked in the Deepfreeze broke free and continued their chase.

The gang hid inside the store as the zombies ran by. "Whoa. Way more like the mad science movie _The Living Zombies Ate My Brain, _than the reanimated kind from _Maul of the Lurching Dead._" Eli pointed out. "Back up!" Trixie whispered. "First: zombies? Second: zombies?!" Then, they heard something move past a mannequin in the back. Eli, Trixie, Kord, Harley, Vance and Mario readied their blasters. "Now!" Eli yelled as they fired at the back. A man dressed like a security guard flipped from behind a counter and fired back, making the gang duck down. The man dropped the 2 blasters he was holding and pulled out 2 more, firing 2 more slugs. Eli readied Joules as the man pulled out his last 2 blasters. As the man jumped and fired his slugs, Eli slung Joules at his torso, shocking him with Tazerbolt and dropping him behind another counter. "That really smarts!" The man said, feeling the shock. "Come out of there!" Eli called, readying his blaster. The man jolted up with his hands up. "Thought you were a zombie." Eli said putting his blaster away. "Millard Milford, security slinger." The man introduced. "Sorry about that. The racket you all made, well, can't be too careful." "So, you're like a mall cop?" Trixie asked. "Some of you less enlightened citizens call us that, yes. But a security slinger is honor bound to right all wrongs wherever he's paid." Millard said as Kord walked up next to him. "Whether it's a mall or a movie house. The playground or the pool." They both recited, ending with a high five. The gang looked at Kord confused. "Meh. A kid can dream." Kord said. "And with such humble dreams do heroes grow, my friend." Millard said.

Eli cleared his throat, getting Millard's attention. "Eli Shane. My gang." He introduced. "My brother Harley, my girlfriend Trixie, Kord, Vance, Mario and- Pronto?" Pronto was looking at a handbag that matched his outfit. "Hmm, a bit matchy-matchy. No! Pronto's bag must pop." He said looking through the cabinets. "Shane Gang huh? If you made it this deep into the mall, you must be as good as your rep." Millard guessed. "Except we're actually trying to find a way out." Harley corrected. "Not likely. Zombies blocking every exit." Millard explained. "First zombies showed up around 12 hours ago, grabbing people and hauling them away. Tried to stop them but there were just too many. Got an APB over the security slinger network. I barely managed to hold up in here to wait for the cavalry." "You have a network? Awesome!" Kord said, behaving like a fan boy. "If we wait here, zombies are gonna find us and haul us off too! No offence." Trixie said, trying to be supportive. "Vigilantes like yourselves may not respect the mall badge, but my brothers in baby blue look out for our own. You'll see." Millard assured. "But with your knowledge of the mall and with our help, maybe we can escape now. Together." Eli offered. "Take the enemy off guard. I like your plan Shane man. But we'll need supplies." Millard started to think til he snapped his fingers. "Hardware store." "But we're armed to the teeth." Kord said pulling out his blaster. "No. Millard's right. We're gonna need a length of garden hose, a tube of epoxy, 3 road flares, a ball-peen hammer and a pack of jerky." Eli listed. "What for?" Trixie asked. "Not sure. In the movies, the heroes always get zombified before they can use any of it." Eli explained. "But we'll figure something out." "We always do." Harley added. "GOT IT!" Pronto screamed pulling out a silver and blue handbag. "The perfect handbag." He said cuddling it. "Oh boy." Harley groaned.

The gang peeked outside, preparing to make their move. "Shane men, take place second level, off the escalator to the right. Millard Milford will run interference and catch up to you." Millard said. "But the path's clear. We should go together." Eli said. "Or is that what they want us to think?" Millard asked. "Go on. I'll be right behind." He zipped off as the gang made for the escalator. "Hey zombies!" Millard called, getting the zombies attention. "Todays special: Millard Milford on a hoof. Get him while he's fresh!" He said as he ran off. The zombies started to chase him. Millard stopped, seeing that more zombies cut him off. One zombie jumped him from behind and snarled in his face. "Two words: Breath mint." The other zombies joined in and dogpiled him as the Shane Gang looked on. "Who knew that a simple security slinger would become as noble a hero as Pronto himself." Pronto boasted mournfully. "He was a brave man." Eli sadly said until he realized. "Did he say the hardware store was to the left or to the right?" The gang shrugged.

The gang later gathered at a map of the mall. "Oh! I see now. If we are the X, the candle store is-" Pronto tried to say, reading the map. The others took off. "Pronto!" Eli yelled. Pronto, not listening **(as usual)**, continued to decipher the map. "The taco stand is just to the left of-" He started to realize there were zombies behind him. He screamed and ran like the wind with the zombies chasing him. He turned a corner and came back with a trash can. He tossed it at them, knocking them down. He praised his courageous victory until he saw a jeweled handbag. He squealed with joy and pressed his face against the glass. "Now _there's_ a bag that pops." He said, not noticing more zombies closing in around him.

The gang took refuge in the hardware store. "Well, the good news is by this point in a zombie movie, the team is always down by 2. So, even without Millard, we're kinda beating the odds." Eli said. Trixie just stared at him with a smile. 'How is it I continue to love this boy so much?' She thought. "Great, but anyone seen Pronto?" Kord asked noticing Pronto was gone. "Oh, that mole! He's gonna get us all killed!" Harley groaned.

Pronto slowly backed away as the zombies advanced on him. "Well, everybody wants something. We can trade." Pronto tried to reason. "I will begin. Pronto wants to live. What do zombies want?" He backed up to the elevator and started pushing the buttons. The elevator opened and 2 more zombies pulled him in.

The elevator reached top floor and the zombies dragged Pronto towards the food court, where the zombies were bringing several pieces of merchandise. "Who are you people?! What do you want from me?!" Pronto asked as they dropped him in front of their leader, a black man with white skull paint on his face, dark eyes with red pupils and ghoul tech. "My loyal minions only wish to serve Mr. Saturday." The man said with an accent **(Probably Jamaican)**, activating his special staff. "And Mr. Saturday wants more cushions." He pointed his staff at one of the zombies and hit it with a red beam. Pronto silently gasped. "And more big screens. And snacks." He hit another zombie with his staff. "But most of all: more minions." He pointed his staff at Pronto and hit him as well.

From the hardware store, Eli watched as more zombies passed by. "Okay, nobody panic. We just need a foolproof plan to find and rescue Pronto and clear out of here without becoming zombie chow ourselves." He said. "In the movie_ I Stuck With a Zombie_, the heroes attempted to rescue their friend by cutting their way through the ceiling, and- then they get chomped. But in _Post-Mortem Peak,_ they made their way to safety through the air ducts- until they got chomped." "Is there any part in this plan where we _don't_ get chomped?" Vance asked. "Eli, forget the movies. This is real life! Pronto's missing and we need to figure out what's going on here!" Trixie said. Suddenly, someone started knocking rapidly at the door. Eli looked out the window and saw what looked like Pronto. "Quick! Open up! It's-" Kord opened the door. "-Pronto?" Pronto looked like the other zombies.

* * *

Zombie Pronto charged inside and started looting through everything. Everyone looked at him confused. Trixie waved her hand in front of his eyes. Nothing. "Like we're not even here." She said. "Probably for the best, considering how a hungry zombie would be trying to eat our brains." Eli stated. Harley took a good look at zombie Pronto. "Odd. Pronto's not rotting or even oozing. For a zombie he's remarkably healthy looking. Well, healthy for Pronto at least." He said. "Maybe we can still cure him. But we won't know unless we go out there and find out what's causing this." Eli said. "The moment we step out there, aren't we zombie bait?" Trixie asked in concern. Zombie Pronto continued to scrounge through the merchandise as he knocked down a tub of white paint. "Not if they don't notice us." Eli said, getting an idea.

"What about Pronto?" Mario asked. "Leave that to me." Harley said smirking. He tip-toed towards the still scrounging zombie Pronto. "Hey Pronto! I've got a little something for you!" He said. Zombie Pronto turned to see and Harley jumped him. Zombie Pronto and Harley started wrestling. "Hold still!" Harley yelled. "Kord, get me some rope!" He called, stopping for a moment. "On it!" Kord said before they went at it again. "Can I use your finger for a second?" Harley asked before pinning zombie Pronto down.

The gang walked out of the hardware store covered in white paint, wearing red lensed glasses. Harley held zombie Pronto by a rope. Zombie Pronto sniffed their way. 2 zombies came from around from the corner and eyed them. Trixie passed by with no problem. As Kord walked up, he prepared to punch them, but Eli stopped him and shook his head. Kord wiped his face and continued. "Eli, you notice something about these zombies?" Harley asked. "Yeah. These zombies aren't decaying. They're like Pronto." Eli pointed out. "We might be able to help them so, don't hurt them. Of course, in case I'm wrong, don't let them bite you or eat your brains." "Skull stays closed. Got it." Trixie said. They turned a corner, only to find 4 more zombies. The gang made undead faces to try to blend in. But the zombies saw through them when they looked at Kord. "Uh guys?" Kord said. "Kord your disguise!" Trixie whispered. "You wiped the paint off your face." Harley scolded. The zombies dropped what they were holding charged at them. "So much for stealth." Eli said as he loaded and fired Gust, sending the zombies flying into the wall with Galestorm. The gang continued as the zombies were dazed.

They stopped at a balcony, seeing a bunch of zombies carrying dozens of items. "Hold on a minute. These zombies don't want brains. They want big screens." Eli said. "They're just looting. Not exactly normal zombie behavior." "Which you and Harley know from watching a bunch of movies." Trixie said repeating Eli's every word. "And if it wasn't for me and Harley watching those movies with our parents, we'd be in worse trouble then we are now." Eli said. "He makes a good point. They got us this far." Mario said. "Guys! Down there!" Harley whispered as he pointed down. The gang looked to see what he was pointing at.

A couple had just walked into the zombie crowd. "Sylvia, don't you give them money." The man said. "Goodness Howard, these aren't beggars." The woman assured. "I know exactly what this is. It's one of those flash mobs the kids are into. Performance art." The gang waved down to get their attention. "See Howard? They're friendly." Sylvia said waving back, not getting the message. "And you 2 are adorable! Howard, take a picture." "You're only encouraging them, Sylvia." Howard said pulling out a camera. As Sylvia posed, the 2 zombies picked them up and hauled them away. "Hey, hey, hey! Hands of the merchandise there, fella!" Howard warned. "Oh, Howard! Be a sport!" Sylvia pleaded to her husband.

Eli facepalmed himself as the others readied their blasters. "Not here. We follow. Maybe we'll find answers." Eli suggested. Zombie Pronto was about to eat a cake of cheese. "Come on you!" Harley said tugging the rope and dragging him away, dropping the cheese.

The zombies dragged Howard and Sylvia towards their leader. "Looks like we're just in time for the show." Sylvia said, thinking there was a show going on. The gang hid in the zombie crowd as Mr. Saturday got ready. "Pfft. Magicians. Worse than mimes." Howard scoffed. "Oh ho ho. But you've never seen _this_ trick before. I promise." Mr. Saturday said as he prepared his staff. "Keep your eye on the slug." The ghoul in his staff started to spin and glow, making Howard and Sylvia stare like they were tranced. "That's a Hypnogriff." Kord said, recognizing the slug. "A hypnosis slug?" Harley asked. "A ghouled hypnosis slug. That's a Cryptogriff." Trixie said. "Which amps and twists mind-reading into mind-control." Eli put the pieces together. "No wonder the zombies aren't trying to eat us. These aren't zombie apocalypse zombies. They're old school voodoo zombies." He explained. "Oh yeah. These zombies are a whole different breed." Harley added.

Mr. Saturday activated and put Howard and Sylvia under his control. "Now, be so kind as to fetch me a snack and a cool beverage." He ordered. Zombie Howard and Sylvia walked away, doing as ordered. "Un-ghouling that slug is key to reversing this." Eli said. He held up a slug barrel containing Doc. "Doc, you up for this?" He asked. Doc nodded. Eli loaded Doc into his blaster. The Cryptogriff sensed them and chittered to Mr. Saturday. The gang got worried. Mr. Saturday understood and looked to the crowd. "Are there any free thinkers among us?" He asked as he slammed down his staff, activating it. The zombies turned, exposing the gang. "Well, I suppose I'll have to do something about that." Mr. Saturday said, snapping his fingers. The zombies closed in around the gang, snatching their blasters. "Eli?" Trixie said, grabbing her boyfriend's arm as Pronto aimed both her blaster and Eli's at them.

* * *

Mr. Saturday walked up to the gang. "Answer 2 questions for me. Who and why?" Eli asked. "For the next few seconds, you may call me Mr. Saturday." Mr. Saturday introduced. "And why does anyone go into business for himself, hmm? For pawn and profit of course." The gang looked at each other. "The profit part speaks for itself. As for fun." Mr. Saturday chuckled as zombie Howard and Sylvia brought him a glass of nectar and a bucket of ice. "Nothing beats people falling all over themselves to fulfill your every whim and desire." Eli just glared at this madman. "Oh, speaking of, final thoughts you'd like to share before I drop you into service?" Mr. Saturday asked, pointing his staff at the gang. "How about attacking Millard Milford's mall is a huge voodon't?!" Millard called from atop of one of the food servers. "Millard?!" Eli asked in disbelief. "Yes!" Kord said in relief. "Takes more than a bunch of drooling, stinking zombies to put the takedown on Millard Milford, security slinger!" Millard said as he swung down towards Mr. Saturday, knocking the staff out of his hand. Kord grabbed zombie Pronto as the gang took off. Millard dropped down next to them as the zombies gave chase. Millard tried to activate the elevator, but the zombies were closing in. Eli slung Chiller towards the ground, creating an ice slide with Deepfreeze. The gang slid down as Mr. Saturday watched them get away with a sneer.

The gang regrouped back at the hardware store. "Alright. Now can we go?" Kord asked. "No time. We have to end Mr. Saturday's reign of terror in the here and now." Millard said. "He's right. We have to do something." Eli agreed. "Like what?" Vance asked. "We're way outnumbered. Why not just wait for your backup?" Trixie asked Millard. "Because an entire Slugterran Express car from Shady Acres is gonna be here any minute for their weekly shopping trip." Millard explained. "You wanna sit idly by when someone's sweet innocent grandma gets zombied?" "Not a chance. Those seniors will have no idea what they're walking into." Eli said. Harley shuddered at the thought. "I'm one to respect the elderly and all, but zombie elderly? That's gonna give me worse nightmares than big dogs and evil clowns." He said. "Just one more detail: if you're gonna be enforcing mall justice, we need to make this official. Raise your right hand." Millard said. "This is really happening!" Kord geeked out as the gang raised their right hands. "On my honor, I will defend the mall against all enemies. Be they kleptos, loiterers or skull-faced zombie overlords." Millard recited. "Shane's honor." The gang swore. "Prepare for the assault on Mt. Food court." Millard said. Kord saluted. "Wait. We can't bring Pronto like this." Trixie stated as zombie Pronto was grabbing stuff. Millard thought about it and held up his handcuffs.

They cuffed zombie Pronto to a map. "It's for your own good buddy." Eli assured his zombied friend. "More like for _our_ own good." Harley corrected with a snicker. "Now let's do this!" Millard called.

* * *

The gang emerged from the elevator and marched towards the food court. Mr. Saturday saw them coming and stood up from his throne. "Bring them to me! On their knees!" He ordered. A zombie jumped for them. Kord caught him and prepared to throw a punch. "Remember: they're innocent victims. Don't hurt them." Eli reminded. "Don't worry. I won't lay a finger on the little darlings." Kord said, throwing the zombie. He saw more zombies charge at him, piling all over him. Trixie slung Balloon, trapping 3 of the zombies in her belly. Mr. Saturday glared and fired his beam as the Shane brothers took cover behind a table. "Guy kinda reminds me of that mad zombie scientist from _Zombie Holiday Terror in Jamaica._" Harley muttered. "Didn't get your names boys." He grunted. "Shane. Eli and Harley Shane." Eli said. "Planning to write us from jail?" Harley asked. "Shanes. I shouldn't be surprised. You 2 have skills I can use in my business. Not as slaves. No. But as partners." Mr. Saturday offered. "We'll never work with you! Freely or otherwise." Eli said. "You ghouled your slug. You're in league with Dr. Blakk." He said as he fired a slug. "Wrong. Saturday is his own man!" Mr. Saturday said. "Blakk may have given me the ghoul tech, but I work for no one but myself." He said firing his beam past the brothers' heads. "Yeah? What happens when you want more ghouls? You go right back to Blakk and give him anything." Eli said. "Yeah. Face it Saturday, you're every bit as much _his_ puppet as these people are _yours_." Harley added. Mr. Saturday just fired another beam at the brothers' table, making them scatter.

A piece from the table hit a button, turning on a fryer. Pressure started to build inside it. As more zombies charged towards Trixie and Vance, Millard jumped down and fired a Jellyish, covering the zombies in its Loogi. Millard took notice on the fryer. "Oh no! If we don't turn off that fryer, the pressure building inside it will create an explosion of hot grease that could take out half of Slugterra!" He said mentally. "Yeah, I don't think so." Trixie disagreed. "Yeah, just the entire food court." Vance added. "I got this." Millard said, aiming his blaster at the off button. He fired a Speedstinger. But it just bounced itself repeatedly across the fryer, building up more pressure. Millard just pouted and pulled Trixie close. "If I don't make it back, you need to finish what I started." He said. "I will." Trixie said, pushing him away. "And don't do that again. I'm taken."

Mr. Saturday saw his chance and made a break for it. Eli loaded another slug, seeing Saturday running away. He chased after him. Saturday passed Kord, who had several zombies trapped behind a table. "I'm going after him! Remember-" Eli said. "Yeah, yeah. Don't hurt them." Kord said, pressing against the table. "I don't think you truly mean that Kord." Harley said, firing Webs behind him, trapping 3 more zombies in her web. More zombies surrounded Mario. "So, you think you got the drop on Mario Bravado? Well, think again." He said, firing his own Frostcrawler, Slide, bouncing off the ceiling, and firing a Deepfreeze at the ground, covering the floor in ice and making the zombies slip and slide around.

Millard climbed up a pillar, holding a rope and eyeing the zombie crowd below and Trixie and Vance made their way to the fryer. Millard saw his chance and swung down. "Coming through!" He yelled, dropping down into the crowd. "Seriously?" Trixie asked in disbelief. Vance shook his head. "There's a hero in all of us! This is your time! Millard Milford believes in you!" Millard called as the zombies carried him away. "Well, he's dedicated. I'll give him that." Trixie admitted as she walked to the fryer. "A little too dedicated if you ask me." Vance said. Trixie shut off the fryer and headed back to the fight.

* * *

Zombie Pronto, still cuffed to the map, almost considered chewing his arm off as Saturday and Eli ran past him. "Okay Joules, you know what to do." Eli said as he loaded and fired Joules and blasted Mr. Saturday into the hardware store with her Tazerbolt. Saturday recovered as Eli entered, aiming his blaster. Mr. Saturday fired his beam at Eli, who jumped out of the way. 3 more zombies entered and grabbed Eli. "Hold him my minions. Time to add another to your ranks." Saturday said as he prepped his staff. Eli struggled against the zombies' grip. "No point in struggling Eli Shane." Eli eyed a metal tray. "You and your brother will be my slaves." Saturday said, firing his beam. Eli grabbed the tray and deflected the beam back at Saturday, hitting him in the head. Eli smiled, thinking Saturday was put under his own spell. "Must. Obey. Myself!" Saturday laughed, completely unphased. "You seriously thought you'd stop me by putting me under my own mind-control?" Eli glared. "All you've done, is made me twice as determined to win." Eli looked down, holding Doc in his barrel, smirking with a plan. "You thought you had a chance? No, no, no. Never had one, never will." Saturday said, prepping his staff. Eli knocked the zombies away, picked up his blaster, loaded and fired Doc. Doc transformed and knocked Saturday's staff to the ground, releasing the Cryptogriff. Doc then flew down onto the ghoul and cured it, sending his Medici wave throughout the entire mall, curing the zombies.

As Pronto was cured, he looked to see his predicament. "Uh-oh. This is never a good sign." He said.

Everybody in the food court was also cured. Kord eased up on the table. "Is the show over already? I don't remember any of it, Howard." Sylvia said in disappointment. "Hypnotist act Sylvie. Worse than magicians." Howard said. Trixie looked down to see Millard covered in mall junk. "Little help here." Millard said, giving an innocent smile and a thumbs up.

Doc and the Hypnogriff recovered from the healing, smiled at Eli and hopped into his hand. "My pleasure little friend. How'd you like to join the team?" Eli asked. The Hypnogriff chittered and nodded. "Great. Think I'll call you Dazer." "Eli!" Harley called, entering the store. "Hey Harley. Meet Dazer." Eli said introducing his newest slug. "Well, aren't you a little cutie." Harley said, tickling Dazer's tummy. "But Saturday's gone." Eli said with a glare. "Oh, I wouldn't say that just yet." Harley interjected.

Mr. Saturday was making a break for the exit. "He who ghouls and runs away, lives to ghoul another-" He tried to say, until he stopped in his tracks, surrounded by dozens of security slingers. Millard slid down the escalator to join the party. "Got news for you, Saturday. You're not headed to some cushy eastern country club prison. You're going to mall jail!" Millard declared as his security brothers dragged him away. The Shane Gang looked on from the balcony.

* * *

Outside, the gang hopped on their mechas as they prepared to leave. Millard walked up to them. "As services rendered, lifetime passes to the arcade and the food court." He said holding up 6 pass cards. Trixie took them. "Wow! Thanks Millard." She said overjoyed. "But of course, some people would've found it insulting. Especially when I told upstairs you might not have taken them as rewards." Millard said. "You're heroes. Been a real honor. If you ever need help from me and my brothers in baby blue, you know how to contact us." "Face it. Only one place we're ever gonna get _real_ downtime." Eli said riding off. "Yeah. Let's go home." Trixie said as she and the others followed.

Inside the mall jail, Mr. Saturday sat in his cell. When suddenly, his cell door unlocked. He looked to see Dr. Blakk, along with Jon Bull and Stalker, entering his cell. "Dr. Blakk!" He said in shock. "So, Mr. Saturday is his own man, is he?" Blakk asked as Bull and Stalker grabbed Saturday's arms. "I think we need to re-discuss the terms of our deal." Blakk said glaring as Mr. Saturday sheepishly smiled.

**Whew! What a day! The Shane gang face a zombie infested mall and gain a new friend in a dimwitted but dedicated security slinger and get a new slug! What surprises will come next? Leave a review if you want and find out.**

**Author's note: The New Kid chapters are gonna be on hold until later in the new year. I've gonna be in Toronto next weekend for the Cats musical and I start night classes in January. Happy Holidays everyone!**

**Slug Arsenal:**

**Eli Shane: Burpy (Infurnus), Joules (Tazerling), Noodle (Flopper), Banger (Armashelt), Bolo (Polero), Rammer (Rammstone), Rocky (Hop Rock), Chiller (Frostcrawler), Burner (Lavalynx), Suds (Bubbaleone), Goober (Jellyish), Sparky (Grenuke), Doc (Boon Doc), Larry (Lariat), Gust (Tormato), Buzzsaw (Thresher), Digger (Crystalid), Spinner (Arachnet), Mucky (Dirt Urchin), Tangles (Vinedrill), Spooker (Frightgeist), Charger (Fandango), Stunts (Speedstinger), Glimmer (Phosphoro), Mo (Enigmo), Dazer (Hypnogriff)**

**Harley Shane: Matchstick (Flaringo), Squirm (Flopper), Frostbite (Frostcrawler), Webs (Arachnet), Gels (Jellyish), Zipper (Hoverbug), Ivy (Vinedrill), Masher (Rammstone), Shredder (Thresher), Smelly (Flatulorhinkus)**

**Trixie Sting: Bluster (Tormato), Blizzard (Frostcrawler), Spider (Arachnet), Twirl (Polero), Balloon (Bubbaleone), Haunter (Frightgeist), Pounder (Rammstone), Slicer (Thresher), Rocks (Hop Rock)**

**Kord Zane: Bludgeon (Rammstone), Sploder (Hop Rock), Jolt (Tazerling), Trip (Polero), Flycatcher (Arachnet), Floatie (Bubbaleone), Iceberg (Frostcrawler), Scorch (Flaringo)**

**Pronto Geronimo: Stinky (Flatulorhinkus), Slimey (Jellyish), Soapy (Bubbaleone), Bruiser (Rammstone), Flame (Flaringo)**

**Vance Volt: Blast (Hop Rock), Bloom (Vinedrill)**

**Mario Bravado: Ricochet (Speedstinger), Slide (Frostcrawler)**


	14. The New Kids Pt 1

**Happy New Years everybody! Here's chapter 14! Here's where we meet Twist. Plus 1 little OC surprise. Enjoy!**

Chapter 14: The New Kids Pt 1

In Quisingly Cavern, the Shane Gang were pursuing one of Dr. Blakk's soldiers. They dropped down from a building as they pursued him. "Trixie, Vance, Mario, go right." Eli said. Trixie, Vance and Mario headed right. "Pronto, Harley, Kord, you're with me." Eli, Kord, Harley and Pronto continued after the goon, chasing him through the streets. "Wait for Pronto!" Pronto called, panting and slowly trailing behind. Seeing that he was being chased, the goon turned a corner, only to find a dead end.

Eli, Harley and Kord caught up. "There's no way out. Hand it over." Eli said, drawing his blaster. The goon took off for the alley. "Grab him!" Eli called. The goon bounced off the walls up to the ledge. Kord fired Bludgeon at the goon, but he got stuck between the walls due to his big figure. Eli and Harley hopped off Kord to the ledge, climbing up after the goon. Pronto finally caught up. "You have ruined my timing and trajectory!" He growled.

Eli and Harley continued to chase the goon on the rooftops. The goon slid down one building to another and hopped to a crane. Eli and Harley stopped at the edge of the building. "Time to cut him off." Eli said. He fired Spinner at the crane and swung from her web to the front, making the goon stop in his tracks. Eli pointed his blaster at him as Harley hopped down behind him. The goon raised his hands, gave a farewell sign and dropped down to a street light. "Wow, this guy is slippery." Harley stated as he and Eli followed him down. They continued to chase the goon down the street, not knowing they were being watched by 2 unknown guys on a roof.

The gang rendezvoused as the goon entered a restaurant. "Pronto, what do you know about the place?" Eli asked. "Oh, you will never find a more foul and wretched establishment. Filled with the worst of the worst in Slugterra. But the soup is good. And so, it is a dead end." Pronto said. "That's what I needed to hear." Eli said with a smirk. "So, what's the plan?" Vance asked. "Everyone, wait here. Harley and I'll go in and flush him out." Eli said. "And maybe I'll try some of that soup." Harley added. Eli and Harley walked inside. A few seconds went by. Nothing. The gang started to worry. Pronto started whistling, making everyone look at him. "Uh, perhaps they're trying the soup?" He guessed. "Go, go, GO!" Eli yelled, running out. Harley followed, holding a bowl of soup. The gang ran off as several more goons came out and chased after them. A cave troll in Blakk Industries attire also walked out and roared before joining his troops.

"Options Eli?" Trixie asked as they kept running. "Working on it!" Eli said. They turned to a corner, but stopped to see a dead end covered with a metal panel and some pipes. They looked back to see the troll and the goons blocking the entrance. Suddenly, the metal panel was moved out of the way by a boy around Eli's age and another boy about 3 years younger. "Follow us if you want to live." The first boy said. Eli looked back at the goons and back to the boys. 'Who are these guys?' He thought.

* * *

**(Intro)**

* * *

The troll and goons charged at the gang. "This way!" The boy said, slipping between the pipes, followed by the other, then Eli, Harley, Trixie, Mario and Vance. When Pronto tried to do so, he got stuck. He struggled and grunted to get free, but to no avail. "These pipes have ruined my timing and trajectory!" He muttered. Kord kicked him to get him loose. As Kord made his way through, Pronto drew his blaster and slung Bruiser, shattering the pipes and blocking the goons. "Insolent pipes! That is what you get for impeding the process of Pronto!" He said, walking away. One goon managed to get through and fired a Grimmstone ghoul at Eli. The first boy shoved Eli out of the way and fired a Polero, wrapping around the goon's legs. "Thanks. Who are you guys?" Eli asked. "Name's Twist. And this is my brother Lash." The boy answered. "Sup?" The other boy said. "Eli Shane. And my brother Harley." Eli said. Suddenly, 2 more guards to aim from atop a pipe. "Up on your left, Eli!" Twist called. Eli saw them, leaned back and slung Burpy. Burpy swirled around the pipe, overheating it and burning the guards' boots, making them fall to the ground. "Oh, 2 for 1? Nice." Twist said impressed. "You said it. And we know who you guys are." Lash said. Trixie fired Bluster at 3 more incoming guards, blowing them away with Galestorm. "3 for 1." She boasted. "Who's counting?" Twist said with a laugh. "Down here." Lash said taking off. The others followed. Trixie just shook her head before following.

The goons followed, but couldn't find them. "Where'd they go?" One goon asked. The gang hung from a pipe as the goons passed them. "One chance. Drop them Harley!" Eli whispered. "On it." Harley said, slinging Webs as Twist slung a Bubbaleone. Webs latched a web tripwire as the Bubbaleone inflated herself, scaring the goons and making them trip on Webs' web.

Suddenly, there was a roar. "What is that?" Eli asked as the troll stomped from around the corner. "That's Krusher. Blakk's main enforcer in this cavern. Seriously bad dude." Twist said. "Yeah. I think we should probably run." Lash suggested. Krusher saw them as they dropped down from the pipe. "Not a bad idea." Eli said. "Agreed!" Harley agreed. Krusher tore off a pipe and tossed it at the gang, but they dodged and ran down another alley with Krusher following close behind. The gang then came to a bridge. "Careful. This thing has no bottom." Twist warned. Pronto screamed as Krusher appeared and threw another piece of pipe at the archway on the bridge, destroying it. "Uh oh." Harley said as Krusher moved closer. "That was our only way out." Twist said. "Any ideas?" Eli asked. "Yup. Dazzle them Loki." Twist said, loading a new slug into his blaster and firing it. The slug transformed and glowed, making Krusher cover his eyes. When he looked, they were gone! "Hey!" Eli called. They were on another bridge. Twist was waving and Pronto blowing a raspberry. Krusher grinned and walked towards them, only to fall over the edge. The bridge disappeared, revealing to be only an illusion. The gang looked on as Krusher fell, cringing as he hit the bottom. "I'm okay." He groaned. "Huh. Guess it _does_ have a bottom." Twist said as his slug hopped back up to him. "Is that a Thugglet slug?" Eli asked, recognizing the slug. "I've heard of them. Never seen one before." "Me neither." Harley added. "Yeah. He's my number 1. Aren't ya Loki?" Twist asked. Loki chittered. "I like that you name your slugs." Eli said. "Well, 'Hey You' seems kinda casual for guys who save our bacon on a regular basis. I mean, this isn't our first run-in with Blakk's goon squad." Twist explained. "What about you Lash? You have any slugs of your own?" Harley asked. "No. Not really a slinger yet. Not sure I'm even ready to be one." Lash said with a saddened face.

Sirens suddenly started blaring in the distance. "They're regrouping! We've got a place nearby where we can chill until things cool down." Twist said. "Isn't that redundant?" Trixie asked. Twist laughed. "That's funny. Come on. Let's go." He said. Trixie rolled her eyes in amusement as she and the others followed Twist and Lash.

* * *

Twist and Lash brought the gang to their home. "Sorry about the mess. We're just staying here until our mansion is painted." Twist exaggerated. "That's my brother. Always exaggerating with the mansion thing." Lash said. Pronto sniffed some laundry and shivered from the smell. "This place is great!" Eli said. "He's right. Panoramic view. High ground advantage." Harley said. "I trust you've got the place rigged with booby traps and a secret bolt hole in case things get bad." Eli guessed. "Wouldn't you?" Twist asked. Everyone then heard a slurping sound. They turned to see Harley sipping out of the soup bowl he swiped. "Sorry. But Pronto was right about the soup." He said, continuing to slurp.

"So that dude you guys were chasing earlier. What's up with that?" Lash asked. Eli and Harley looked at each other, sighed and nodded. "He's one of Blakk's couriers." Eli said. "He's the last piece of intel we need for a major operation." Harley added. "Eli, Harley uh, we just met these guys." Kord interjected. "Yeah. While they were busy saving our lives and putting their own on the line while doing that." Eli reminded. "For which we're very grateful." Trixie said. "But if Blakk gets wind of what we're doing-" "I know you've got no reason to, but you can trust us." Twist assured. Lash nodded in agreement. Eli opened up a map. "It's a layout of a ghoul depot. Blakk has them all over Slugterra." Eli explained. "Yeah, we've heard of them." Twist said. "We figured if we can liberate all the ghouls inside, my Boon Doc slug, Doc, can cure them. Which would mean a lot fewer Blakk minions armed with ghouls." Eli continued. "Only problem is we can't find any of them. We've got the layout, but no locations." Trixie said. "Yeah. Thought we'd get one from the courier until that plan went sideways." Kord said, recalling the incident. "Good thing you met us then." Twist said. "Cause we exactly know where to find one." Lash finished.

Eli and Harley watched through their binoculars as a Blakk guard pulled up to a ghoul depot with a carriage. "Oh yeah. That is definitely one of them." Eli confirmed. "It appears to be lightly guarded too." Harley said. "We'll be in and out of this place in time for breakfast." Eli said. "When you say 'we'-" Twist started to say. "I mean _all_ of us." Eli said standing up. "What do you say? Up for being a pain in Dr. Blakk's butt?" He asked. "Sounds like fun." Twist said. "How about you Lash?" "Count us in." Lash accepted. "Good. We regroup and make our move tomorrow." Eli suggested. "Oh boy. Blakk won't know what hit him." Harley said with confidence. The others chuckled with agreement as they walked back to their mechas. Twist and Lash looked on at the depot and then to each other. Twist smiled and nodded to his brother as he walked back to the others. Lash gave one last unsure look at the depot and walked back.

* * *

At the hideout, Eli gave Twist and Lash a tour of the base. "I gotta say: your place is a lot more comfortable than ours." Twist admitted. "Yeah, our dad left this hideout pretty well stocked." Eli said, until he caught a whiff of dinner. "Speaking of which-" Pronto was cooking something on the stove. Twist placed Loki with Burpy and Doc on their little play pen. Pronto placed a serving dish on the table. "Dinner is served." He said lifting up the dome, revealing a cooked insect. "It's my dear Grandmole's recipe. May she rest in peace. DIBS ON THE CLAW!" He was about to grab a piece when Trixie slapped his hand away. "Manners Pronto. Guests eat first." She said. "Pronto has the right idea Trixie." Twist said. "Out on the street, it's every man, troll and molenoid for himself. Am I right?" "Oh, so true. Forget about eating first. You're lucky if you eat at all." Pronto said, taking a claw. "Please. I insist." He placed the claw on Twist's plate. "Wow! I don't think we've eaten this good in our lives!" Twist said in amazement. "No, never! You do this every night?" Lash asked. "Our dad always said the Shane Gang had a big family meal before an important operation." Eli explained. "I figured it's time we revisited that tradition. Though it's certainly a first for me." He said, looking disgusted at the bug. He then heard crunching. He turned to see Harley munching like an animal on the back of the bug. "What? It tastes better than it looks." Harley said.

Twist got up and gave his plate to the slugs. Pronto was about to eat when he noticed this. "Hey! What is this?! You waste a delicious Cavern Crawler claw on- on, on- on your slugs?!" He asked in disbelief. "A happy slug is a healthy slug." Twist said. "And a healthy slug wins duels." Eli added. "True that." Lash agreed. "You said it." Harley said. Burpy, Loki and Doc eyed Pronto. They nodded and slunk to the plate. Burpy placed the spoon on Doc's back and loaded a pea in it. Loki then hopped on the spoon and fired the pea, hitting Pronto in the face. "I am hit!" He cried, growling at the slugs. Burpy and Loki high-fived. "Loki." Twist called before Doc could get one. Loki gestured Burpy to Eli and Twist and they hopped to their owner's shoulders.

"I can see you and Harley love these guys as much as me and Lash do." Twist said. "Yeah. We hate it when Blakk twists them into those monstrous ghouls." Lash added. "We're gonna change that." Eli assured. "Promise." Harley said. "Speaking of twist, how'd you get that name? If you don't mind me asking." Kord asked. "I'll show you. You're a pretty big guy. But there is no way you can keep a hold of me." Twist said. Kord chuckled and stood up. "Obviously you've never heard of a cave troll channel lock." He said. "Oh yeah. Once a troll has you in the channel lock, there's no escape." Mario assured. "Try me." Twist dared as Loki hopped off his shoulder. Kord walked over. Trixie began recording. Kord and Twist got into a stance and Kord lunged in to grab him. But when Kord looked, Twist was gone. "What?! How?!" He asked in disbelief. Twist flicked Kord's helmet from behind. Kord swung around as Twist hid behind his back. Kord noticed and tried to grab him, but Twist slunk under him, making him trip and fall. "Cool moves Twist." Eli said. "Totally awesome." Harley said in awe. "Impressive to you, perhaps. But molenoids are well known for their evasive maneuvers." Pronto boasted. "You wanna go next?" Kord asked pounding his fist into his hand. "Another time perhaps." Pronto cowardly said, zipping away, making Kord grin.

"You and Lash have any family other than each other Twist?" Trixie asked. "It's a long story and at the end of it, we don't know what happened to them." Twist said as Loki hopped back onto his shoulder. "Loki and the other slugs are our family now." "We've all lost someone Twist. That's what makes us family. You and Lash are welcome to our table anytime." Eli said. "And speaking of time, it's 0 hour." Kord said. "It's time to hit the depot." Vance added. Eli and Twist loaded their blasters and prepared for the operation.

* * *

At the depot, the gang waited as Eli watched through his binoculars. "Patrol is right on time. This should be a piece of cake." Eli said. "So, what's the plan for getting in?" Mario asked. "Allow me. Showtime Loki." Twist said. Loki hopped to his hand and created an illusion of himself as a ghoul, making the gang look on in awe, shock and disgust. "Man, that's convincing." Trixie said impressed. "There's a lot Loki can do." Lash said. Twist loaded Loki and slung him towards the depot.

One of the 2 guards at the gate saw Loki hopping towards them. "Whoa, whoa! Ghoul!" He said. "One must've got loose. Grab him!" The other guard said. "You think we need backup?" Guard 1 asked. Guard 2 walked up and took the control pole from Guard 1. "Don't be such a baby. How'd you even get this job?" He asked, making his stance. He latched the pole onto Loki, who started to struggle. "That thing's going nuts! Don't let go!" Guard 1 said, opening the door with his keycard. Guard 2 slipped and fell to the ground, dropping the pole. Guard 1 stepped back in fear, letting Loki inside. "I told you not to let go!" He said. "Sorry! I panicked!" Guard 2 admitted. Loki made his way to the security grid and planted a device near the power cords.

The gang received the security footage on their laptop as the guards found Loki. "Video hacker's planted. Loki's almost as sneaky as me." Twist said. "Now their eyes are our eyes. Nice." Trixie said. "Nice of Blakk to use the same layout for all of his depots. Makes our job even easier." Eli added. Trixie focused the camera on Loki as the guards took him away. Loki winked at the camera. Kord and Harley were focused on Loki. "Hmm. Something's wrong with this." Kord said. "Wrong how?" Trixie asked. "I'm not sure. I can't put my finger on it, but something." Kord explained. "Yeah, I'm getting a weird vibe on this too. Something's off." Harley added. "I don't see anything wrong." Twist said. "Me neither." Lash added. "How about you Eli?" Eli looked through the footage of the guards bringing Loki to a cart full of canisters. "Everything looks green to me. But keep thing looks green to me. But keep your eyes open people. I trust Kord and Harley's instincts." Eli said. "Yeah. It's uh- it's probably nothing." Kord said. "Yeah maybe nothing." Harley agreed. They watched as the guards placed Loki with the others. "Loki's in place." Twist said. "Let's move." Eli ordered.

Eli and Twist watched as a guard moved from his position. "Slug runner to Bunhead. We're in position." Eli said to Trixie's comm in code. "Bunhead? I'm supposed to be Eagle eyes." Trixie complained. "Oh, right. Sorry babe." Eli apologized. Trixie just playfully scoffed. "Perimeter's clear, but there's 4 guards inside the first door. Go!" She said. Eli, Twist, Harley, Kord, Lash, Vance, Mario and Pronto all charged towards the door.

Inside, Eli spied the 4 guards inside a control room. As one of the guards exited, Kord grabbed him a pulled him aside. "Did you catch that Slugball game last night?" One the guards asked. Kord pulled the 2 up and sounds of pounding and zipping were heard before the gang dropped down to the ground. Eli, Kord and Pronto were dressed in guard suits. The fourth guard turned around and gasped as Kord knocked him out. Twist felt around until he found the guard's keycard. "I've got the keycard. We're in!" He said into his comm. "Sweet. I'll get the mechas ready." Trixie said.

The others headed further into the depot, all dressed in guard suits. "I still don't know how you managed to fit into that suit." Eli said to Kord, regarding his muscular size. "You don't want to know." Kord answered. They reached the door at the end of the hall. Twist swiped the keycard against the lock and opened the door. "This is it. Right where the blueprint said." Eli said as they entered. The room was full of canisters loaded with ghouls. Twist ran over to the canisters by the cart and tried to pick out Loki. "Careful. Watch that one on the right." Kord warned. Twist found Loki's barrel. "Nice work Loki." Twist said as Loki jumped into his hand. "You can lose the illusion now." Loki nodded and switched back to a normal Thugglet slug. "I still don't like this." Kord said, still getting the feeling something was wrong. "I don't either." Harley agreed. Kord picked up a canister. "Let's get out of here." They loaded the canisters onto the cart.

They brought the cart outside to wait for Trixie. "We're almost clear. Get ready to saddle up." Eli said, taking off his mask. "Finally!" Pronto said in relief. "This cursed costume is so itchy. And it stinks as bad as a cave troll's-" "Uh Pronto." Kord said, reminding the mole that he was right beside him. "Oh. Hello you." Pronto said sheepishly. "Are they always like this?" Lash asked. "Most of the time. You'll get used to it." Mario said.

Eli heard an engine roaring. "And That must be Trixie with the mechas. Right on time." He said. He and Harley slunk up to the gate and peaked through the crack. "Uh oh." Eli said. "What is it?" Twist asked. "Not Trixie with the mechas. It's El Diablos Nacho." Eli said. Pronto fearfully jumped into Kord's arms as they saw Nacho just outside the gate with some goons. "Nacho? I thought you said he'd be miles from here." Kord said. "That's what my intel told me." Twist said. "Guess your intel fed you some false information." Vance said. "So much for the perfect plan." Eli said.

* * *

"We're not getting out of here without a fight, are we?" Twist asked. "Not unless someone as a better alternative." Harley said. "Perhaps I can find another exit." Pronto suggested. "You saw the blueprint. There is no other exit." Eli reminded. "Fight it is then." Twist said. "I like Twist's style." Harley said. "So, what's the plan?" Lash asked. "Wait for my move. Then run out slinging hard. Stay alive. And get these ghouls home safe." Eli said.

Nacho started to get the feeling something was about to happen behind him. "Okay, Trixie. Showtime." Eli said into his comm. He signaled for Pronto to open the gate. Nacho looked behind as Eli slung Glimmer, blinding Nacho with Flashbang as Trixie and the other mechas leapt over him towards the gang. "Blast them, you fools!" Nacho ordered. The goons charged in, firing their ghouls as the gang mounted their mechas. "This way." Trixie said, trying to leave but stopping from getting hit by a ghoul. As the goons fired more ghouls, Kord rode through the smoke and fired back.

"Wait! Cover me!" Pronto called as he hooked the cart onto Fernando, almost getting blasted. "Sorry Pronto! Kinda preoccupied at the moment!" Vance said, firing his new Lavalynx, Crust. Another goon fired a Grimmstone towards Pronto, but Kord jumped Wyatt in the way and knocked the ghoul into the air. Pronto then hopped on Fernando and jiggled the handles, trying to start him. "Okay. Go! What are you waiting for?" He said as he got his mecha going, riding off with Trixie, Kord, Vance and Mario. Several goons on jackal mechas chased after them.

3 more goons continued to blast at Eli, Harley, Twist and Lash. One of them fired a Jollyfist. Twist dodged 2 incoming ghouls and fired a Tazerling, hitting one of the goons with Tazerbolt. Another fired a Grimmstone towards Twist, but Eli blocked it with Lucky. The ghoul bounced off Lucky to the ground, making it dizzy. Eli then slung Buzzsaw, who latched his teeth onto the goon's blaster and spun, shredding the front part. The goon looked at his blaster and ran off screaming. Eli helped Twist onto Lucky. "Lash!" Twist called. Lash was backed into a corner, held at blaster point by the third goon. Suddenly, an Armashelt came out of nowhere and bashed into the goon, knocking him down. The slug hopped onto the unconscious goon and chittered with a smile. Lash looked at the slug then turned to see Harley riding up to him. "Nice work, Claws." He said, picking up his slug. He then looked to a shocked Lash. "You alright?" He asked. "You- You saved me." Lash said. "Of course. No one gets left behind." Harley said, helping him on his mecha, now named Delta.

As the pair of brothers started to ride off, Nacho started to come around from being blinded. Eli fired Rammer, bashing into Nacho, while Twist slung a Frostcrawer, freezing Nacho's bottom half into place. They hopped over him and rode off. "Nice shot, Twist." Eli said. "Likewise." Twist said.

The gang were still being chased by the goons on jackals. Kord fired his AquaBeek, Jetstream, at them, knocking one of them off his mecha with Aquajet.

Nacho broke the ice with the butt of his blaster, freeing his legs. He snarled and looked towards the 4 brothers. He took careful aim, then slung a Grimmstone at Eli and Twist, knocking them off Lucky. "Eli!" Harley called, stopping Delta. "Twist, you okay?" Lash called. "We're okay! Go on and help the others! We'll handle Nacho." Eli called. "Okay. Be careful." Harley called as he and Lash rode off the help the others.

Kord looked back, counting their pursuers. "Does it seem like there's a lot more of these guys then our intel suggested?" He asked as one of the goons fired a Frostfang. Vance ducked his head as the ghoul passed. "Now that you mention it, there does." He said. Trixie looked back and fired Twirl, wrapping around the goon's mecha's legs and bringing it down while tripping another. "2 for 1. But who's counting?" Trixie said, making a joke about Twist's earlier comment.

Nacho walked over to where he blasted Eli and Twist, but found only a scorch mark. He growled and looked around, trying to find them. "Where are you?" He asked. Suddenly, a blaster was fired. Nacho turned to see Buzzsaw spinning towards him. He dodged the incoming Thresher and fired an Amperling towards the tall mushroom where Eli and Twist were hiding. Burpy growled as Eli and Twist fired 2 more slugs. Nacho flipped out of the way and fired a Grimmstone. It bashed into Eli, knocking him off the mushroom. "Eli!" Twist called. Eli tried to grab a branch, but it slipped out of his grip and hooked Eli's belt. Burpy screeched in fear as Eli continued to fall. Twist swung in on an Arachnet web and grabbed Eli's arm. "Hold on!" He said as they swung towards Nacho. Nacho gasped as Eli kicked him, sending him backwards. As Eli and Twist landed, Eli tried to grab a slug barrel, but just noticed his belt was gone. "My belt! Up to you, Banger." He said to his last slug. Banger nodded from inside the blaster. Nacho fired a Dark Urchin towards them. Twist shoved Eli out of the way as the ghoul passed. Nacho got ready to fire again. Burpy, Doc, Spinner and Rammer looked on in worry from their branch.

The gang were still being chased. 2 more goons waited near the pass they were approaching. One of the chasing goons fired a Hop Jack, nearly hitting the cart making Pronto flinch. Pronto saw one of the goons near the pass readying his blaster. "Eat my stink!" Pronto yelled, pulling out his blaster and slinging Stinky into the goon's face. The goon coughed and gagged as he inhaled Stinky's gas cloud. "Oh mother! It REEKS!" He cried, falling on top of the other goon. Pronto chuckled at his success. Trixie and Kord skidded to a stop and fired both Rocks and Sploder towards the remaining goons, causing an explosive pileup. "3 for 1? Nice one, guys." Harley called as he and Lash rode up on Delta. "Where are Eli and Twist?" Kord asked. "Here's a hint: Nacho." Harley said. "We've got to help them." Trixie said, riding off with the others following.

Eli fired Banger towards Nacho. Nacho fired another Grimmstone, slamming Banger to the ground. "Your empty." Nacho taunted. "Hand-to-hand work for you, Twist?" Eli asked. "Yeah. Let's throw this clown a beatdown he'll never forget." Twist said, preparing to fight. Nacho just chuckled. "Funny kids. You'll die laughing." He said, preparing to fire a Tempesto. Suddenly, Burpy flew out of nowhere, transformed and trapped Nacho in a Flamespire. Eli and Twist looked up. Eli's slugs were using vines to sling themselves at Nacho. Joules was slung next, shocking Nacho with her Tazerbolt. Rammer came next, punching Nacho in the chin. Gust came in last, blowing Nacho down with Galestorm.

Eli and Twist ran in as the gang pulled up. "Go Eli!" Trixie called. Twist hoisted Eli up the tree to get his belt, along with his last 2 slugs, Spinner and his new Sand Angler, Urchin. Nacho growled as Eli put his back on, loaded Urchin and slung him at Nacho's feet, creating Sandcrete. Nacho's legs sunk into the quicksand patch as Eli and Twist walked past, picking up Urchin. Eli and Twist slid down the slope towards Lucky.

Nacho continued to struggle in the quicksand as he noticed the gang leaving. Nacho fired a Hop Jack and hit the cart. "Transport's hit!" Trixie announced. The whole thing started to come apart. "That thing's not gonna stay in one piece for long!" Kord said in worry. More ghouls hit the cart from afar. "We can't afford a firefight." Eli said. "He's right. If one stray slug hits that pen, we're gonna have a _really _nasty mess of loose ghouls." Harley said. "I know a hidden path. That is what I do you see: point the way when all seems lost." Pronto explained to Twist. "Don't get used to it. He always jinxes it in the end." Harley muttered. Twist and Lash put on some amused smiles.

* * *

Pronto led the gang to a quite little forest. "You see? We are safe and the ghouls are-" Pronto started to say until the cart tumbled off an edge, spilling the canisters and freeing the ghouls. "-FREE?!" The ghouls started to scatter. Kord rode up to a little group. 3 of them hopped at him, but he fired Flycatcher and caught them in a web net. 2 more ghouls nearly got him from behind, but Trixie caught them with a web net from Spider. "You can thank me later." Trixie said.

The gang fired their Arachnets to try and catch the ghouls, but there were too many. "There's no way we can web up all these ghouls." Eli said. "So, what do we do?" Harley asked. "I've got this, guys." Twist said. He held up Loki's barrel. "Loki, give me an Oroboros special." He fired Loki towards the ghouls and created an illusion of a Shadow Clan. The illusion roared at the ghouls, backing them into a corner. "Oh wow!" Trixie said, impressed. "Oh, that is cool." Mario said. "Awesome, Loki." Eli said. He held up Doc's barrel. "Okay Doc, time to do your stuff." He said, loading the barrel into his blaster. "This could take a while." He fired Doc into the middle of the ghoul pack and unleashed his Healswarm, curing the ghouls. Doc hopped back to Eli as Loki dropped his Shadow Clan illusion. Eli picked up Doc. "Well done, Doc. Get some sleep. You've earned it." He said. Doc fell to sleep in Eli's hand.

Back at the hideout, Burpy, Loki, Twist and Lash watched Doc as he slept. "Twist, you, Lash and Loki were amazing today." Eli said. "Slugs needed help. We helped. No big deal." Twist assured. "Very big deal." Trixie corrected. Some of the slugs chittered in agreement on the table. "You 2 should be 2 of us. You both proved that today. You're Shane Gang. You're family." Eli said. "If it means more dinners like last night, count us in." Twist said. "Seriously though, thanks." "Yeah. It's been a long time since we've felt like part of a family." Lash said as Loki hopped onto Twist's shoulder. "Well, other than our slugs of course." Twist added. "We're lucky to have you guys." Eli said, shaking hands with Twist and Lash. "Also, because the Shane Gang's gonna need all the help it can get." "Ooh. What do you have planned this time?" Kord asked. "Another depo raid?" Vance asked. "Not exactly, Vance. I've realized that hitting ghoul depos isn't gonna have any lasting effect on Blakk. We need something that can put him out of the ghoul business for good. We need to get at the very thing Blakk is using to make them in the first place." Eli explained. "Dark Water." Harley said in realization. Eli turned to Twist and Lash. "What do you guys know about Dark Water?" He asked. "We've heard a few things." Twist said. "If that's what you're going after, then we know exactly how to do it." Lash said. "But we're gonna have to talk to an old friend." Twist added. "Any friend of yours is a friend of mine. Let's go." Eli said. "Wish you could come Eli, but he doesn't trust strangers. Me and Lash have gotta do this solo." Twist said in regret. Harley, Trixie and Kord seemed suspicious but understanding. "I get it. See you soon then. Be safe. Both of you." Eli said. Twist nodded while Lash looked worried.

* * *

At Blakk's citadel, Blakk was not happy with what happened at the depot. "I should blast you where you stand. I lost a lot of precious ghouls today." He said. "So did I!" Nacho growled. "And now you come to me with a request? What makes you think this will work?" Blakk asked. "Because they trust us." Twist said as he and Lash walked up to their true boss. "Yes. But the question is: Should I?" He asked. Twist was unphased by Blakk's intimidation. Lash looked worried. 'What am I doing?' He thought.

**There you have it, folks. How do you like my extra little surprise? Twist has a little brother who also has doubts on working with Blakk. What will happen next? Find out next chapter. And about the name I gave to Harley's mecha: I like to think it as a tribute to Delta from Jurassic World. Leave a review if you'd like.**

**Slug Arsenal:**

**Eli Shane: Burpy (Infurnus), Joules (Tazerling), Noodle (Flopper), Banger (Armashelt), Bolo (Polero), Rammer (Rammstone), Rocky (Hop Rock), Chiller (Frostcrawler), Burner (Lavalynx), Suds (Bubbaleone), Goober (Jellyish), Sparky (Grenuke), Doc (Boon Doc), Larry (Lariat), Gust (Tormato), Buzzsaw (Thresher), Digger (Crystalid), Spinner (Arachnet), Mucky (Dirt Urchin), Tangles (Vinedrill), Spooker (Frightgeist), Charger (Fandango), Stunts (Speedstinger), Glimmer (Phosphoro), Mo (Enigmo), Dazer (Hypnogriff), Urchin (Sand Angler)**

**Harley Shane: Matchstick (Flaringo), Squirm (Flopper), Frostbite (Frostcrawler), Webs (Arachnet), Gels (Jellyish), Zipper (Hoverbug), Ivy (Vinedrill), Masher (Rammstone), Frights (Frightgeist), Shredder (Thresher), Smelly (Flatulorhinkus), Claws (Armashelt)**

**Trixie Sting: Bluster (Tormato), Blizzard (Frostcrawler), Spider (Arachnet), Twirl (Polero), Balloon (Bubbaleone), Haunter (Frightgeist), Pounder (Rammstone), Slicer (Thresher), Rocks (Hop Rock)**

**Kord Zane: Bludgeon (Rammstone), Sploder (Hop Rock), Jolt (Tazerling), Trip (Polero), Flycatcher (Arachnet), Floatie (Bubbaleone), Iceberg (Frostcrawler), Scorch (Flaringo), Jetstream (AquaBeek)**

**Pronto Geronimo: Stinky (Flatulorhinkus), Slimey (Jellyish), Soapy (Bubbaleone), Flame (Flaringo)**

**Vance Volt: Blast (Hop Rock), Bloom (Vinedrill), Crust (Lavalynx), Legs (Arachnet)**

**Mario Bravado: Ricochet (Speedstinger), Slide (Frostcralwer), Crawler (Arachnet)**


	15. The New Kids Pt 2

**Okay, here's the second part of The New Kids. And the truth will be revealed. Enjoy!**

Chapter 15: The New Kids Pt 2

_Previously:_

"_Who are you guys?" "The name's Twist. And this is my brother Lash." "Is that a Thugglet slug?" "Yup. Dazzle them Loki!" "You 2 should be 2 of us. You both proved that today. You're Shane Gang. You're family." "What makes you think this will work?" "Because they trust us."_

* * *

On a new red prototype of the Slugterran Express, some rich folk were discussing the outfits of the train. "You know, some people say we've lost some of that rustic outer cavern flavor with the Slugterran Express." A rich man named Dorium said. "Personally, I'm on the same page as Blakk. I think a little civilization is just what these areas need." The other rich folk chuckled in agreement as a waiter walked past. "Oh waiter? Be a good boy and bring out some more of those delicious little breadsticks, won't you?" Dorium asked. But this wasn't a waiter. It was Eli wearing a disguise. "Of course, sir. I'll have those right out to you." Eli said, walking away to the next car.

Eli groaned, setting down a tray of nectars he was carrying. "Not sure what annoys me more. The snooty passengers or this disguise." He complained as Burpy laughed. "Sorry, bro. Would've done it myself, but you lost the toss." Harley said, leaning against the wall and eating a breadstick. "Quit complaining." Twist said, coming into view with Lash. "This was _your_ plan, remember?" "Got the security card." Lash said, holding up a card. "Let's do it then." Eli said. He activated his comm. "Can everyone read me?"

Mario and Pronto were set up near a track switch. "Loud and clear, kid." Mario said. "Naturally and as always." Pronto added.

Kord was tinkering with the train controls. "In position." Kord said.

Trixie and Vance were standing beside a rail cart. "All set here." Vance said. "We're good to go, Eli." Trixie followed.

"Okay. Then let's go steal ourselves a train." Eli said.

* * *

**(Intro)**

* * *

_24 Hours Ago:_

At the Shane Hideout, the gang were going over the plan. Eli laid out a map on a table and covered it with 2 little train models and a glass mole. Harley, Trixie, Twist, Kord, Vance, Mario, Lash, Pronto, the slugs and even Wormy gathered round the table. "Here's what we know. Tomorrow night, Blakk is moving a shipment of Dark Water to a secure facility. This isn't your average mark. Blakk's not taking chances. We're talking armed guards, private train, the works." Eli explained. "Must be a pretty big shipment with this much security." Mario guessed. "We hit Blakk less than 2 days ago. Shouldn't he be regrouping?" Trixie asked. "Twist?" "The opposite. If anything, Blakk's stepping up his game." Twist said. "Twist's right. You guys cut off his supply when you took out the Deadweed mine. But he's still got plenty." Lash added. "Twist's intel suggests that Dark Water is being moved from Blakk's citadel to a depot in the outer caverns." Eli said. "Don't blame him. I wouldn't wanna live on top of that stuff." Trixie said. "Considering what that stuff did to the miners at Deadweed, neither would I." Vance added. "Granted that I wasn't there at Deadweed, but from what you guys have told me, I'll take your word for it." Mario said. "This is it, guys. We pull this off, and we put Blakk out of the ghoul business for good." Eli said. Everyone either cheered, clapped or even gave a positive roar.

But not everyone appeared to have been paying attention. Kord and Harley were thinking about something else. "Kord? Harley?" Eli called, snapping them back. "You guys listening?" He asked. "Sorry. Wha-what?" Kord asked. "Yeah, what were we talking about?" Harley added. "The mission briefing?" Eli reminded. "Sorry. We're still thinking about the ghoul depot. It doesn't make any sense. I shut down the security grid, then Twist and Lash went in, and Diablos appeared behind us. But how'd he even know we were there?" Kord said. "I have a theory. Maybe someone on the inside leaked out information of our raid to Nacho." Harley thought. "You mean like a spy?" Kord asked. "Maybe. But if so, the question would be: who is it?" Harley said. "Let it go, guys. Eli needs you both in the game." Twist said. "Eli especially needs you, Harley. Afterall, you're his brother." Lash added. "Yeah, you're right. Sorry man. Whatever you guys need." Kord said. "Alright. But I'm not dropping my spy theory. Now let's continue." Harley said, thrusting the small red train model.

* * *

_Present Time:_

Eli, Harley, Twist and Lash climbed up the back of the train. Twist ran and jumped to the front. Lash and Harley followed. Eli brought up the rear. The train hit a bump, causing Eli to fall off. "Eli!" Harley called. But Twist caught Eli's hand. "That was close." Twist said. "Thanks." Eli said.

"Keep that throttle to the floor." A goon in the control room said to a disguised Kord. Kord took out his blaster and aimed it at the goon. "We've a schedule to keep, you lazy-" The goon stopped as he turned to see Kord. "-cave troll?" "So formal. Call me Kord." Kord said. Eli entered, holding a rope.

Eli, Harley, Lash and Kord gained control of the train. "Twist, lose the extra baggage." Eli said into his comm. Twist took position on top of the train and fired a Speedstinger at the train's connector bolt, separating the rich people's car from the train. The rich people flinched as their car slowed to a stop. "Well, I know that _I'll_ be asking for a refund." Dorium said, taking his monocle out of his drink.

* * *

_23 Hours Ago:_

"I'll say it. It sounds risky, Eli. Even for us." Trixie said. "You and Lash brought us the intel, Twist. What do you 2 think?" Eli asked. "If it was me, I'd never try anything this crazy." Twist said. "But that's just you, bro." Lash said. Twist sheepishly smiled. "But if Eli thinks we can pull it off and it means sticking it to Dr. Blakk, I'm behind him. 100%." He said. "Then this is our target." Eli said, placing the red train model on the table. "3 miles from the shipment, an express train carrying some of the richest collectors in Slugterra." "I don't get it. How does stealing one train help us steal another?" Trixie asked. "Same as any magic trick worth its salt." Twist said, loading Loki's barrel into his blaster. He took aim at Pronto. Pronto flinched at the sight and tossed up a bowl of slop he was eating. "Don't shoot!" He cried as Twist fired. Everyone looked on in shock. Pronto checked all over. He wasn't shot. Twist held up his hand. "Misdirection." He said, clutching his fist, then opening it again to reveal Loki. "I think I get what Twist is planning. If we steal the train from the rich people, Blakk's guards won't be able to tell the difference." Harley explained. "Well, yes. We certainly fooled them." Pronto said, trying to keep a smile. "Nice. Now back to the plan." Kord said.

* * *

_Present Time:_

Blakk's train was on route to the depot when suddenly the driver caught sight of something on the tracks in front of him. He gasped and stopped the train. 2 old guys were trying to fix their transport. "About time you boys came along. Can't seem to get this darn thing a-moving." Old guy 1 said. "If only you'd listen to me once in a while." Old guy 2 grumbled.

The driver gave the transport a tune-up. "Try it now." He said. Old guy 1 tried to start the engine, but it just sputtered. "This is a head scratcher, old timers. Might have a part in the train that could help." The driver said, walking back to the train. Suddenly, the transport's engine started up. "Well, son-of-a-gun. Can't believe I was using the wrong key this whole time." Old timer 1 said. "I knew it!" Old timer 2 said. "Well, if you knew, why didn't you say something?" Old timer 1 asked grouchily. "I did say something! You just don't listen!" Old timer 2 snapped. "I can't help it if I'm going deaf." Old timer 1 said, shifting the transport and driving away. The driver just shook his head.

When they were out of sight, Trixie and Vance pulled off their masks. "This is Trixie. Vance and I bought you 10 minutes. Heading your way now." Trixie said into her comm. "Ugh! Felt like an oven in that thing." Vance groaned, sweating from wearing the mask. "Yeah. But you actually pull off an old timer really well." Trixie said. "Yeah. Wonder if I'll actually be like that when I actually hit that age." Vance said, throwing the masks away.

The gang's train pulled up to the depot. "About time. You were supposed to get here 10 minutes ago." The guard that was stationed at the depot said. "Yeah. Sorry about that. Little trouble with the train." Twist in disguise said. "You want a repair crew to take a look?" The guard asked. "No. We got it. It was the engine thing. It's all good now." Twist said. The train hooked onto the cargo and started to drive away. "Well, see ya." Twist said as they drove away. Wasn't long until Blakk's train pulled up. "What do you want?" The guard asked. "Sorry we're late. Couple of old geezers had a breakdown on the tracks." The driver said. "Where's the cargo?" The guard gasped, figuring out that he was tricked.

As the gang's train continued on. "Better get a move on. Blakk want's this shipment to the depot on time." One of the guards that came with the cargo said. "Afraid this train's gonna be a little late." Twist said, taking off his mask. The guards gasped at the sight. Kord, Harley and Eli flanked them. Trixie and Vance rode up on their mechas as the first guard was knocked off the train. They both caught up and jumped onto the railing as the second guard was thrown off. "No ticket." Kord joked. Trixie and Vance climbed on. "Good to have you and Vance back, Trix." Eli said. "Thanks. It's good to be back." Trixie said, pecking her boyfriend on the lips. "Yeah, but they'll figure out we've switched engines by now." Vance said. "He's right. We should get moving." Trixie said. "Full-throttle, Kord." Eli said. "It's all up to Pronto and Mario now." Kord said, speeding up the train.

* * *

_22 Hours Ago:_

"First of all, I would like to say I, along with Mario, am honored to receive the role most integral to this plan's very success." Pronto said. "Great. Then let's go over it again, buddy." Eli said. "Just as long as I am still key-mole in this plan." Pronto said. "You're pushing now." Eli stated. "Pushing to the front of the pack, as key-mole. Perhaps some commemorative key-mole t-shirts would be in order." Pronto suggest. "Okay! You just went one step to far, Pronto." Harley snapped, getting in Pronto's face.

As Harley and Pronto bickered, Twist received a call from Maurice. Twist groaned and moved out of sight to take the call. "I told you not to contact me here." He said. "The boss just wants to check in as all. You've made him certain assurances." Maurice said. "Lash and I have everything under control. Don't call again!" Twist said, hanging up. Lash was watching, knowing that Twist was talking to Blakk. Harley also noticed, getting an idea about Twist.

"He says he's got everything under control, boss." Maurice said. "They better, for their sake." Blakk said. "What about the younger brother? From the look on his face, he might try to weasel us out." Maurice said. "Then we can't afford no mistakes. When the time comes, have him destroyed." Blakk ordered.

* * *

_Present Time:_

Blakk's train came into pursuit of the gang's train. "Here they come! Just stick to the plan and we'll be fine." Eli said. The driver loaded and fired an Amperling, nearly got the train with Amperjolt. He then fired a Hop Jack as he continued the pursuit.

Meanwhile, Pronto and Mario waited by the track switch. Pronto whistled as he waited.

As the pursuit continued, Twist held his hand over a red button. "Whoa buddy. You hit that emergency break and we're through." Kord warned. Twist continued to eye the button, attempting to push it. "They're gaining on us, Eli!" Kord said. "Keep pouring it on! We just need some room to breathe." Eli said. Twist, attempting to push the button, just clutched his fist, backing off from his attempt.

Pronto continued to whistle as he and Mario waited.

The Blakk train driver fired another ghoul. "Almost there." Kord said.

Pronto continued to whistle. "Here they come." Mario said, eyeing the train in the distance.

"Almost there." Kord repeated. Soon enough, Pronto and Mario came into view. "Now, Pronto!" Eli called. Pronto flipped the switch, changing the tracks for the gang. The gang's train turned left, heading down a tunnel. Pronto fired Bruiser at another switch, activating a waterfall to cover their tracks. Pronto then switched the tracks back. Blakk's train passed. Pronto and Mario saluted as it left. "Key-mole to Team Pronto. Operation Key-mole is a success." Pronto said into his comm.

The gang cheered on the train. "We couldn't have done this without you and Lash, Twist." Eli said, putting a hand on Twist's shoulder. "Us? It was your plan." Twist said. "My plan was just a piece of it. Everybody chipped in. That's what family does." Eli said. 'Family.' Lash thought. "Stop!" Kord suddenly said. "Why? I mean, okay it's a little sappy, but it's true." Eli said. "No. Stop! We're gonna crash!" Kord shouted. The train wasn't slowing down.

The train headed straight for a rock wall. "The breaks!" Eli said. Trixie pressed the emergency break, but nothing happened. "It's not working!" Trixie said. "I thought you said we'd have enough room to stop this thing." Eli said. "Well, we didn't plan on going this fast!" Kord said. Pronto and Mario emerged from the waterfall, holding an umbrella. "Pronto will save you!" He tossed his umbrella away, loaded his Lariat, Loogie, and fired him at the cargo. Pronto cheered. Until Loogie fired his Wrappler at Pronto's blaster, and dragged him along. Mario groaned and rode his mecha after him.

Eli opened the side door and leaned out. "Come on, buddy. Slow us down." He said to Chiller, who was loaded. Chiller was fired. He turned around and blew his Deepfreeze at the train. The wheels screeched on the tracks as they were being frozen. But no avail. Chiller transformed back and landed on the track. The ice on the train broke off. Chiller hopped out of the way before he got flattened. Trixie fired Balloon at the wall, hoping her inflated body can stop the train. The train crashed against Balloon, but everyone was okay. Well, except for Pronto. "Once again Pronto saves the day." Pronto said in a daze before he went unconscious. Mario just shook his head.

Everyone cheered in victory. Except for Kord and Harley, who was checking out the train. "Come on, Kord. We should be celebrating." Eli said. "I know. It's just back at the depot. How did Diablos know where we were? One second nothing, then he's there. It's weird right?" Kord said. "You really think Harley was right about this spy thing?" Eli asked. "I think so. But if there was a spy, who would leak our plan out?" Kord asked. "Probably the same guy who sabotaged the emergency brake." Harley said, hopping out of the train. "The wiring's a mess." "Guys, we just pulled off a once in a lifetime heist. You gotta learn not to sweat the small stuff." Eli said. "I'm an engineer, bro. I'm all about the small stuff." Kord said. "Well, there's nothing small about this." Eli said.

Trixie took a good look at the cargo. "I can't believe it. Blakk's whole supply." She said. "Oh, to see the look on Dr. Blakk's face. He will soon and forever rue the name Pronto." Pronto boasted, earning looks from everyone. "Oh, and well, yours as well. But mostly Pronto." He said. "Actually, he'll be ruing the names Eli and Harley Shane. I mean after all, he has it out for Shanes. To him, you're just considered dead weight." Harley corrected. "DEAD WEIGHT?!" Pronto screamed in shock.

"These will be cool here for a few days. In the meantime, I suggest we bail and find somewhere to lay low." Eli said. "You mean we're not staying?" Twist asked. "I want us gone in 5. We'll come back when we know it's-" The cargo doors opened up. Nacho and a whole army of goons emerged. "-safe." "Dr. Blakk sends his regards." Nacho said, aiming his blaster. Pronto screamed. The gang ran for cover as the army fired their ghouls. Eli turned to see a Tempesto coming towards him. He turned and fired Burpy. Burpy fired Flashfire at the ghoul, causing an energy surge and creating a Skyclone as Nacho and 2 other goons hopped down. Nacho roared as the gang took cover behind some rocks.

"This whole thing was a setup! And we fell for it!" Trixie said as the ghouls hit their cover. "Survive now, blame later!" Kord said, firing Iceberg and freezing the 2 goons. "Nacho pushed them aside. "Come out, children. I promise a quick oblivion." He said. "Pronto does not want a quick oblivion! Pronto prefers his oblivion to be slow and gradual." Pronto said, dodging another ghoul. "Pronto, I don't think that helping your case." Harley said.

Nacho and his army advanced slowly. "We're sitting ducks out here." Eli said. "Take Twist and Lash and find some higher ground! We'll cover you." Kord said firing another slug. "We'll surprise them, then make the charge up the middle together." Eli said. "Right behind you." Twist said.

2 goons waited for any movement. "Now!" Eli called as he and Twist ran for a nearby cave. The 2 goons fired 2 Amperlings. Kord fired Jetstream, knocking the ghouls back into their protoform with Aquajet. Lash soon followed after Eli and Twist. Another goon fired a Hop Jack. As Eli and Twist hopped over a rock, the ghoul hit the rock as Lash stepped on it. Eli and Twist looked back. Lash was struggling up and Nacho was walking over. Eli ran to help. "Eli! Just leave him! We have to keep moving!" Twist called. Nacho fired a Grimmstone. Eli jumped over Lash and fired Buzzsaw. Buzzsaw knocked the ghoul away with Throttlebite. Eli helped Lash up. The goons continued to fire on the rest of the gang. Eli noticed 3 more goons advance on him, but were caught in a Blorfball gas cloud. Eli turned to see Pronto, who fired Stinky from off a rock. Pronto winked. Eli nodded and followed Twist and Lash into the cave, while the goons coughed from inside the gas cloud. Harley watched as Eli, Twist and Lash ran into the cave, glaring with a thought.

Eli, Twist and Lash ran deeper into the cave, until Eli stopped and noticed something. "It's one of my dad's hideouts." He said, walking over to a workbench. "Eli, we have to keep moving." Twist said. Eli picked up a picture and brushed off the dust. It was a picture of him, Harley, Eliza and Will. "You miss him, don't you?" Lash asked. "There's nothing more important than family, Lash." Eli said. Lash put a comforting hand on Eli's shoulder. Twist just glared down.

The goons fired 3 more Hop Jacks at the rock wall, making a rock slide that nearly squashed Pronto. Kord looked at one of the Hop Jacks and started to think. 'Loki. Loki's a real ghoul. Then, that means Twist-' He thought. "Kord. Kord!" Trixie said, tapping him. "Get your head in the game." She said. "It is. We have to get to Eli." Kord said. Trixie, Vance, Pronto and Mario looked at each other confused. "Listen to me. Back at the depot, something wasn't right. It was Loki. On the monitor, Loki should've appeared as a regular slug, not a ghoul. It's illusions only work on living things, not cameras. Unless he actually was a ghoul and dropped his illusion for the scam. That's why a slug like Loki can cast such powerful illusions and why he avoided Doc's touch. Doc can't heal without reaching velocity, but he'd still recognize the ghoul in Loki right away." Kord explained. "But that means-" Trixie thought with a shock. "Harley?" She turned, but Harley was gone. "He must've figured it out." She activated her comm. "Eli? This is Trixie. You have to get out of there. It's Twist. Eli, do you read? I said Twist and Lash are working for Blakk."

Eli heard her message. "Is it true?" Twist raised his blaster. "That must be a yes. Are you gonna tell me why?" Eli asked, raising his hands. "I haven't decided yet." Twist said. Lash just sadly backed up to the wall. "You Shanes. So predictable. Well, you jumped at the chance to leave Blakk's Dark Water down here where no one will ever find it. Well now, that's exactly what's gonna happen to you."

* * *

"Toss the blaster to Lash." Twist demanded. Eli took his blaster and tossed it near Lash. "And turn around so I can see your face." Burpy hopped out of his barrel and hopped away before Lash picked up the blaster. Eli turned, gasping at Loki's true form. "Loki's a ghoul?" He asked. "I wasn't the only one playing you." Twist said. "Gotta hand it to you Twist, you even had the rest your slugs fooled." Eli said, gesturing to Twist's former slugs, who were huddled together in fear. Lash looked at their saddened and fearful faces, feeling sorry and pitiful for them. "You know they'll never follow you now, right?" Eli asked. "Cry me a river. I have all the ghouls I need." Twist said, not caring at all.

Nacho and his army advanced on the gang. "We have to find a way into those tunnels." Trixie said. "Perhaps if I talk to them." Pronto suggested. "Afterall, Pronto is a skilled negotiator." Pronto cleared his throat. "FIRE!" Nacho yelled. 3 goons fired an Amperling, a Hop Jack and a Tempesto. Pronto screamed as all 3 ghouls hit him at the same time, knocking him into the rocks. "Diplomacy has failed!" Pronto screamed.

"A Shane without his blaster. That's a sad sight." Twist said. "One Shane you mean." Harley said, coming into view, aiming his blaster at Twist. "I had the feeling it was you. Not just with Loki back at the depot. I noticed you talking on your comm during the briefing." "Can't put one over you, can I?" Twist asked. "Yeah. Eli may be a few days older than me, and the leader of this gang, but I was always the wee bit smarter and observant twin." Harley said. "Maybe. But you try anything and your brother gets it." Twist warned. "Yeah. Well, I may not have my blaster, but I still have my slugs." Eli said smirking.

Burpy hopped onto Twist's shoe and lit it on fire. Twist felt it and stomped his foot to put it out. Eli saw his chance. He kicked Twist's blaster out of his hand. Eli tried to punch Twist, but he dodged and grabbed Eli's arm. "Oh, that's one thing you should know about me by now, Eli." He said as he flipped Eli over his shoulder. "_Never_ challenge me in hand-to-hand." He walked over to his blaster as Eli recovered. As Twist picked up his blaster, Eli tackled him. Lash was about to go to help. "Don't." Harley said, turning his blaster on Lash.

Nacho and his goons continued to fire their ghouls at the gang. "Diablos is our number 1 problem. Take him out and we can get to Eli and Harley." Kord said. "So, what do we do?" Mario asked. "What we need is a plan." Pronto said. "A crafty, surprising, clever-" "RUSH HIM!" Trixie yelled. Kord picked up Pronto and the gang ran out from their cover and charged towards Nacho. "Rush him? 'Rush him' is not a plan!" Pronto protested.

Eli and Twist struggled in each other's grip. "How could you do this, Twist? You and Lash were like family to us." Eli said. "Family? Like a Shane could understand that word." Twist said, flipping Eli onto his back. "What're you talking about?" Eli asked. "Your father is the reason me and Lash are orphans!" Twist revealed. Harley looked at Lash in shock. "Is it true?" He asked. "It's true." Lash said sadly. "Our father was a slug smuggler."

_[Flashback]_

_A younger Twist and Lash were waiting outside a building. Their father dropped out from a window holding a cage full of slugs. 'It was only a few slugs.' Will Shane caught them. The 3 attempted to escape on their mecha. 'We weren't hurting anyone.' They tried to stop before they fell off the edge of a ravine. Will fired an Arachnet and caught Twist and Lash as their father fell into the ravine. 'He could've just left us alone.' Twist recovered and glared at Will, vowing vengeance._

_[Flashback end]_

"He had to be the hero, just like you." Twist finished, aiming his blaster at Eli. Harley looked at Lash, who didn't even bother to raise Eli's blaster. "You don't blame my dad for what happened, do you?" He asked. "No. Will Shane was just doing his job. My father's actions were his own." Lash said. "Then why work with Blakk?" Harley asked. "It wasn't my choice. At least not to Twist. He always decides what's best, not caring about what I say at all." Lash said. "Lash! Stop talking to him and blast him!" Twist demanded. Lash flinched and looked from Twist to Harley. "You know it's the wrong thing to do, kid." Harley said. Lash gave it some thought. He then saw a Flaringo nuzzle his foot. He picked it up and it hopped into the blaster. Knowing what he had to do, he then pointed the blaster at Twist with Harley. "Put it down, Twist!" He said. Twist growled and fired Loki at his own feet, disappearing.

Eli looked around. Twist reappeared behind him and kicked him. Loki hopped back into the blaster. Lash tossed Eli his blaster. Eli loaded Joules and fired her Tazerbolt at Twist, but he disappeared again. "Remember what I said earlier?" Twist asks, bouncing off Eli's shoulders. "About misdirection?"

The gang kept charging towards Nacho. Nacho and his goons kept firing ghoul after ghoul. Trixie flipped over one and slung Blizzard towards them, blowing Deepfreeze. Nacho ducked and it hit the train, but froze the entire army. Nacho loaded a Jollyfist ghoul and slung it towards them. The gang took cover as Nacho fired another Hop Jack.

"We'll never take him out like this." Kord said. "Never say never. We will do the Molenoid Long Bomb." Pronto suggested. "But that's just a legend." Kord said. "Not anymore." Pronto said. "On my 3. 1. 2. 3!" Kord tossed Pronto into the air. Nacho seemed confused. Pronto readied his blaster. Nacho prepared to counter. But then Trixie, Kord, Vance and Mario prepped their blasters too, shocking Nacho. Trixie slung Pounder. Kord fired Sploder. Mario slung Ricochet. Vance slung Legs. And Pronto fired Windy, his Tormato. Nacho eyed all of the incoming slugs, seeing no way to dodge. Pounder bashed his arm. Legs trapped him in a web. Ricochet bounced repeatedly off the train and his head. Sploder knocked him to the ground. And Windy sent him and the frozen goons flying in a Slyphoon.

Pronto, still flying, smiled in success, until he hit a wall and dropped at the gang's feet. "I am alright. Nobody worry about Pronto." He said in a daze.

Twist kicks Harley down, then disappears again. "We know how you feel, Twist. Me and Harley lost our dad too." Eli said, helping up his brother. "You have no idea know how I feel!" Twist's voice echoed. "So, all of this was just for revenge? Over something your father did to himself? You really wanna end up like Blakk?" Harley asked. "I'm a survivor, Shanes! All my life, I've known the game is rigged." Twist said, reappearing and shoving Eli into Harley and Lash. "So, I like to make sure I'm on the winning team. And from where I'm standing, that's Blakk. Plain as day." He disappeared again. "How could you betray me like this, Lash? Their father destroyed our father!" Twist echoed. "Wrong. He did that to himself. Will Shane saved my life. Something you would obviously never do. Some brother you turned out to be." Lash stated. Twist reappeared and punched Lash in the face. "You were always the weakling, Lash. Too weak." He said, disappearing again.

Eli, Harley and Lash went back-to-back, preparing for another attack. "It's about power, Shanes. That's something both your father and Blakk understood." Twist said. "LIAR! Our father never cared about power! He only cared about protecting the people and the slugs." Harley snapped. Another Twist appeared. "Please. As if slugs even have feelings." He said, angering both Shane brothers as 2 more Twists appeared. "Face it, you don't even know which one of us to shoot." "Who says I have to choose?" Eli asked, firing Stunts at the roof. Stunts ricocheted off the roof towards the one Twist, who disappeared. Stunts then bounced off a machine, under Eli to the second Twist, disappearing as well. Then Stunts bounced off a column and into the real Twist.

Twist landed by a wall. There his slugs looked at Twist with anger and hatred in their eyes. Twist looked shocked. "Don't _ever_ say that slugs don't have feelings." Harley growled. "Because they do. And right now, they feel one simple thing for you. Hatred." The slugs pounced all over him. Twist groaned and screamed in pain as the slugs attacked him. Then he disappeared. Eli, Harley and Lash looked on.

Trixie, Kord, Vance, Pronto and Mario met up with them. "Eli?" Trixie called. "Where is he?" Kord asked, wanting to give Twist a good blasting. "It's okay, Kord. He's gone." Eli said. Trixie ran to him and hugged him tight. Vance looked over to Lash. "I'm guessing if you're still here, you're off the hook?" He asked. "Not yet." Lash said. He walked over to where Twist's blaster laid and picked it up. Then, Twist's slugs hopped up to him. "I'm sorry for what he did. But if you can find it in your hearts to trust me, I promise that I can do what he could not. I'll protect you and take care of you." He offered. The slugs looked at him for a while. Then the Flaringo from earlier hopped onto his shoulders and chittered. The slugs looked at Lash happily and hopped all over him, nuzzling him and making him giggle.

The gang looked on happily. "Twist maybe gone, but it's not the last we'll see of him." Harley said. Mario looked around. "What do you want to do with this hideout stuff?" He asked. Eli picked up the picture of his family. "Load it all up into the train. All of it. Repair the train and let's go home." He said. Everyone each picked up a box and started to head out. "You know, with all this stuff, Wormy and all of our slugs, we're gonna have to remodel the hideout." Harley said. "So, when we get back, what does everyone feel like eating tonight?" Pronto asked. "Ooh, I know. Newt mucous stew. No? Steamed scornbeetle spleens?" "Let's just order something in." Kord suggested. Twist hid behind a column, watching them leave. He was angry that his own brother betrayed him, but a small part of him felt guilty for betraying them.

* * *

Back at the hideout, Pronto served turkey legs for dinner. "Dinner is served." Everyone dug in and munched in like there was no tomorrow. But Kord noticed Eli wasn't eating. "Eli, you alright, bro? It's not like you to turn down a homecooked meal." He said. "A non-insect meal. Which I will add are rare for Pronto." Trixie said as Pronto slurped up an insect. "It's fine. It just doesn't feel the same somehow." Eli said, getting up and walking to the window. "He's still thinking about Twist." Harley deduced. "Eli baby, he did try to kill us." Trixie said. "Agreed. Pronto does not have many rules. But I draw the line at people who try to kill me. It is extremely rude." Pronto said. "The point being you can't let him get to you, kid." Mario said. "He's right. He had us all fooled." Vance agreed. "Maybe. But I know there's good in Twist. He just has to realize that he's not alone here. I just hope we can help him see that before it's too late." Eli said.

"It is too late for Twist." Lash said. Everyone turned to him. "He has too much of our father in him. You all probably know this, but it's hard to help someone who doesn't want to be helped." He explained. "Perhaps. But one can never know unless they try." Eli said.

* * *

At Blakk's fortress, Blakk was even more upset than he was before. "So, after considerable time and money, you return to me with nothing." He said. "Shane gang escapes, your brother betrays us and the sons of Will Shane remain at large." "I got them to the cavern just like I promised. If it wasn't for that traitorous weasel brother of mine." Twist said. "I am not interested in excuses, boy! I am interested in results!" Blakk snapped before turning to Nacho. "And you. Have you anything to say for yourself?" "Nope." Nacho answered. "Then you will fail me no more. Go back to where you came from!" Blakk yelled, firing a Tempesto at Nacho's feet, creating the same black hole that swallowed Will Shane. "Remember your promise! We will meet again Blakk!" Nacho screamed as he got sucked in, leaving the same scorch mark.

Blakk smile as Twist looked on in shock. "And as for you. Good work." Blakk said. Twist was slightly startled. "There will be other chances for revenge, Twist. You did as I expected you to under the circumstances. And you no longer need your brother. He was only slowing you down. Holding you back. Now I have valuable intelligence on Eli and Harley Shane and their associates. Not to mention, a new apprentice." Blakk said. Twist grinned and started to walk out. "Oh, and Twist." Blakk said stopping him. "You saw today what happens to people who do fail me. For your sake, don't make a habit of it." He warned. Twist nodded, now knowing his place.

**Wow. Ain't that something? Twist becomes Blakk's apprentice out of need for revenge for his father while his brother betrays him and Nacho is sent back to whatever hellhole he came from. Don't worry. They kept the train. Who knows what'll happen next? Something happy? Something sad? Something both? More surprises await in the future.**

**Author's Note: After I finish working on Snowdance, I was thinking of writing a few of my own chapters in between some of the other episodes. One that probably introduces the sinister duo of Fire and Frost. Leave a review if anyone has any ideas. **

**Slug Arsenal:**

**Eli Shane: Burpy (Infurnus), Joules (Tazerling), Noodle (Flopper), Banger (Armashelt), Bolo (Polero), Rammer (Rammstone), Rocky (Hop Rock), Chiller (Frostcrawler), Burner (Lavalynx), Suds (Bubbaleoen), Goober (Jellyish), Sparky (Grenuke), Doc (Boon Doc), Larry (Lariat), Gust (Tormato), Buzzsaw (Thresher), Digger (Crystalid), Spinner (Arachnet), Mucky (Dirt Urchin), Tangles (Vinedrill), Spooker (Frightgeist), Charger (Fandango), Stunts (Speedstinger), Glimmer (Phosphoro), Mo (Enigmo), Dazer (Hypnogriff), Urchin (Sand Angler)**

**Harley Shane: Matchstick (Flaringo), Squirm (Flopper), Frostbite (Frostcrawler), Webs (Arachnet), Gels (Jellyish), Zipepr (Hoverbug), Ivy (Vinedrill), Masher (Rammstone), Frights (Frightgeist), Shredder (Thresher), Smelly (Flatulorhinkus), Claws (Armashelt)**

**Trixie Sting: Bluster (Tormato), Blizzard (Frorstcrawler), Spider (Arachnet), Twirl (Polero), Balloon (Bubbaleone), Haunter (Frightgeist), Pounder (Rammstone), Slicer (Thresher), Rocks (Hop Rock)**

**Kord Zane: Bludgeon (Rammstone), Sploder (Hop Rock), Jolt (Tazerling), Trip (Polero), Flycatcher (Arachnet), Floatie (Bubbaleone), Iceberg (Frostcrawler), Scorch (Flaringo), Jetstream (AquaBeek)**

**Pronto Geronimo: Stinky (Flatulorhinkus), Slimey (Jellyish), Soapy (Bubbaleone), Bruiser (Rammstone), Flame (Flaringo), Loogie (Lariat), Windy (Tormato)**

**Vance Volt: Blast (Hop Rock), Bloom (Vinedrill), Crust (Lavalynx), Legs (Arachnet)**

**Mario Bravado: Ricochet (Speedstinger), Slide (Frostcrawler), Crawler (Arachnet)**

**Lash: Zing (Tazerling), Speedy (Speedstinger), Hopper (Hop Rock), Bubba (Bubbaleone), Stinx (Flatulorhinkus), String (Polero), Goat (Rammstone), Sleepy (Slyren), Webber (Arachnet), Ice (Frostcrawler), Spark (Flaringo)**


	16. Snowdance

Chapter 16: Snowdance

A young boy had just kneeled down to pick up a slug, but the slug plus a few other slugs scampered past him in fear. The boy watched as people ran past him screaming. Then there was a rumble behind him. He turned to see a giant Frightgeist slug angrily stomping towards the screaming people. The boy screamed. A man grabbed the boy and ran out of the way before the giant slug could crush him.

'_Coming soon, the movie event of the year, Attack of the 50 ft Slug.'_

Suddenly, a couple of shadows covered the whole thing. Pronto and Harley were with the gang at a mecha drive-in theater in Snowdance Cavern. Pronto and Harley were on their way back from the snack shack with popcorn for the gang. "I tell you Harley, the journey back to the others from the snack shack is more difficult then I expected." Pronto complained. "Yeah, I know." Harley agreed. "Luckily, we have supplies to sustain us." Pronto said, tossing some popcorn in his mouth. "Seriously? These are for the whole gang. You need to control your appetite issues." Harley advised, but kept eyeing the popcorn he was carrying. "I mean, so should I, but who knows how long before we reach the others. I mean with _your_ 'directions', I'd say a very long time." He threw some popcorn into his mouth as well.

With the others, Kord was groaning with desire for popcorn. "I can't enjoy this without popcorn." He complained. "Are you kidding, Kord? This place is awesome!" Eli said. "Totally. Giant screen. Killer sound. Snowdance Cavern rocks. Even with the ice ogres." Trixie said. "Ice ogres? Who're they? The guys who make the snow cones at the snack shack?" Eli asked, trying to make a joke. Lash chuckled. "Ice ogres are the carnivores who live inside that glacier." Trixie explained. "Oh right, because that makes so much more sense." Eli said. "Relax bro, it's winter. They're hibernating." Kord said. "Yeah, the one time you don't want to see an ice ogre is when it's awake." Vance added.

Just then, Pronto and Harley returned. "Finally!" Kord said happily. "Yes. The journey was long and arduous, but behold, the bounty that Pronto and Harley have procured." Pronto said. Kord took the popcorn boxes and passed them around to the others. Kord was about to reach into his, but noticed it was empty. It was the same for the others. "Alas, since the journey was long and arduous, Pronto and Harley were forced to consume most of the bounty." Pronto said. "I'm sorry, guys." Harley said, feeling ashamed. "But I did hang on to this for you, Burpy." He pulled out a tiny bag of candied fruit and handed it to Burpy. The little slug chittered for joy and took the bag. Kord however was very upset. "I'm gonna be forced to consume _you_ if I don't get me some popcorn!" He warned. "Oh no, my friend." Pronto said, hopping onto Wyatt. "You would never return from such a journey. Only a molenoid can navigate the treacherous maze to the snack shack." He hopped off and started to walk back to the snack shack.

Suddenly, everyone started shushing. Trixie looked up at the screen. "The movie's starting." She said, putting on her 3D glasses. Eli, Harley, Burpy and the others did the same as the movie began to play.

_[Movie Screen]_

_2 man were at a standoff. "Well, here we are. Just me and you. And I can't remember if I have 1 slug left, or 2." The one man said._

Eli and Harley scoffed in amusement. "Oh, come on! You can't hold a blaster like that!" Eli said, calling on the way the man was holding his blaster. "Yeah, it'd ruin the trajectory." Harley added. Trixie shushed them. "You're gonna tell Max Jackson how to shoot?" She asked. "Max Jackson?" Harley said in confusion. "He's only like the biggest action star ever. They say it's impossible for directors to get him to do what they want." Trixie explained. "Well, I bet you got what it takes." Eli said. "Yeah. Especially with the sternness in your voice." Harley added. "Yeah. Well, it's a long way from making videos for the Slugnet to working with a star like that." Trixie explained. "But somehow, someday, a movie I shoot is gonna be on that screen." Eli took her hand. "Well, I do hope that you do make it there someday, Trix." He said. "Thanks babe." Trixie said, gently squeezing his hand.

"Hey! You're blocking my view!" A guy from behind the gang complained. Trixie and Eli took a look. A few familiar faces had just pulled up in front of the guy. "I'll park my mecha where I wanna park. And I'm gonna park right where you are." A boy with a familiar rude voice said. "Yeah. If you don't like it, maybe try to afford a better spot. If an underling like you can." Another boy with a familiar snobbish voice said.

"Hey! Keep it down! We're trying to watch-" Trixie started to say, until they all got a look at each other. It was Billy of the former Hooligang from Quiet Lawn Cavern. Along with Croesus from Club Slug and Sid and the slug hunters from Jungle Cavern. "The Hooligang?!" Eli said in surprise. "The Shane Gang?!" Billy said in surprise. Both gangs drew their blasters and prepared to standoff. _"Well, looks like we got ourselves a standoff."_ Max Jackson said from onscreen.

* * *

**(Intro) (Shane Gang updated with Lash)**

* * *

Both gangs continued their standoff. "Look Billy, we're just her to watch a movie. Let's not ruin it for everyone." Eli said, trying to reason with hot-headed loser. "Okay. Then how about I just ruin it for you?" Billy asked, not caring at all, as usual. "You know these guys?" Lash asked. "Unfortunately. Billy's a hot-headed nobody who was causing trouble in Quiet Lawn Cavern a few months back. Way before you, Vance and Mario joined the team. Croesus was a guest at the Club Slug scam. And the other 4 were slug hunters we went up against in Jungle Cavern." Harley explained. "Make sure you film all of this, Camera Cutie! I want everyone to see the new and improved Hooligang beat the Shane Gang." Billy said to Trixie. "Yeah. Like I'd film a bunch of poor losers who have a 0% chance of beating my boyfriend and his gang." Trixie gloated. Billy then looked to notice Vance and Mario with the gang. "Wait. Vance Volt?! And Mario Bravado?! Why are these legends hanging out with you losers?!" He asked with disbelief. "What? We should resort to hanging out with _your_ losers?" Mario asked back with a gloat.

Billy growled and fired a Hop Rock, knocking Eli's glasses off and landing in front of the screen. Everyone who was watching the movie all started to ride their mecha beasts out of the cavern in a panic. "Billy! We can't do this here! Someone's gonna get hurt!" Eli said. "Someone is! You!" Billy said. "Yeah! You and your gang are gonna get your money's worth. In PAIN!" Croesus added. All of them fired 3 Hop Rocks, 2 Flaringos and an Armashelt. The explosions sent most of the gang flying to the ground.

As the crowd started to leave, Pronto was on his way back from the snack shack, carrying a big bag of popcorn. "Oh no. It sounds like Pronto is missing all the good parts of the movie." He said in worry. But of course, the big popcorn bag was blocking his vision. So, he didn't know what was happening.

"What's your problem, Billy?" Eli asked, getting annoyed with Billy. "Payback from the last time we met! After Shorty and Goggles betrayed me, Dr. Blakk took away my ghoul privileges thanks to you! I was lucky not get fired!" Billy explained. "And you, Croesus?" Harley asked. "After that little skirmish at Club Slug, when I got home, my parents and the servants put me through the worst workout of my life because of you! No matter how much I offered the servants, my parents said it was for my own good!" Croesus explained. "I consider that doing you a favor, you ungrateful snob." Harley said. "Afterwards, Croesus and I met up along with these slug hunters and decided to form a new Hooligang to take you all out!" Billy said. "More like Fooligang if you ask me." Mario joked, making Vance laugh.

Billy growled and fired another slug. One of the hunters fired a Frostcrawler, putting Kord in a Deepfreeze. "Kord!" Eli called, firing Spooker at Billy. But Billy ducked out of the way and fired another Hop Rock. Eli jumped out of the way and ran for better ground. Billy, Croesus, Sid and the hunters continued to fire slugs. Croesus and the hunters fired Flaringos and Hop Rocks while Billy fired a Thresher. Lash fired Ice, freezing the Flaringos into ice cubes. Trixie swung from a crystal to avoid the Hop Rocks and fired Rocks, headbutting the Thresher in the jaw. Trixie then fired Pounder, freeing Kord from the Deepfreeze. "Th-Th-Th-Thanks!" Kord said, freezing.

"_You're finished, Jackson."_ The bad guy in the movie said. "You're finished, Shane!" Billy yelled, copying the villain and firing a Rammstone. Eli fired Banger, bashing the Rammstone and redirecting it towards the glacier. As the slug hit it, it started to crack towards the cavern roof, getting the gang's attention. Eli was about to fire another slug. "NO!" Kord and Harley yelled, grabbing Eli. "What are you doing?!" Eli asked. Kord pointed to the glacier. "See those cracks? We'll all be buried under a mountain of ice if this thing comes tumbling down." He said. "He's right. We can't risk an all-out slug war with these conditions." Harley added. "Ha! Eat slug, Shanes!" Billy yelled, firing another Hop Rock and sending Eli, Harley and Kord to the ground. "Stop! We gotta take this outside, Billy!" Eli said. "He's right! If that ice wall falls, we'll all be crushed!" Harley added. "I told you! I'm not stopping until my gang wins!" Billy said, not listening at all. No surprise. "Now, if you wanna surrender, then fine." He fired a Lavalynx at the ice wall, causing the roof to crumble some more. "Stop! Okay! Okay, fine I give up. Duel's over, okay? You win! Just stop shooting!" Eli said, putting his blaster away and raising his hands. Trixie and the others also walked over, as Trixie filmed the entire thing. Billy then started cheering. "You see that? I won! I beat the Shane Gang!" He said, foolishly firing another slug at the roof. "Didn't you hear what Eli said, you imbecile?" Trixie asked. "Of course, I heard him. He said 'I give up!" Billy said, mocking Eli.

"Like he would actually surrender to you, you son-of-a-" Harley started. But Kord grabbed his shoulder. "We all gotta chill here. Those cracks are messing with the glacier's structural integrity." He said, pointing to the cavern roof. "We're probably okay as long as-" Suddenly, a loud roar was heard. "As-" "Yeah, you probably don't need to finish that sentence." Eli said. Another roar came from behind the ice wall. "Looks like hibernation's over." Eli said. Trixie nodded in agreement. Suddenly, a fist punched through the wall, then out jumped a wide-awake and very angry ice ogre.

Everybody cringed. "So, what did Pronto miss?" Pronto asked, blindly walking towards the ogre. "Pronto!" Trixie yelled. The ice ogre roared. "Yes, I know. The surround sound is impressive." Pronto said. He then took a smell of the ogre's breath. "And nobody told me that the movie was in smellovision! And the special effects are absolutely incredible! Even without- the- glasses?" He whimpered, while slowly realizing. The ogre roared and Pronto screamed in realization and ran off. The ogre started to stomp towards them. Eli, Trixie and Harley aimed their blasters, but Kord stopped them. "Guys no! This glacier's not stable! We've got bigger problems!" He said, pointing to the still cracking wall. Billy, Croesus and the hunters fired their slugs at the ogre. But as the slugs made contact, the ogre started to glow and grow bigger, shocking the Hooligang and the Shane Gang. "You're right. We do have bigger problems." Eli said. When the ogre stopped growing, it slammed it's knuckles to the ground and roared.

The ogre stomped towards the gang and prepared to drop its fists. "_Hey you._" A voice came. The ogre turned back to the still playing movie. "_Yeah. I'm talking to you._" Max Jackson said. The ogre pounded his chest and growled. "Huh. I guess he doesn't like Max Jackson's acting either." Trixie said. "Well, glad to see I'm not the only one." Harley said. "Come on." Eli said. The gang took off for their mechas.

The ogre continued to size up on the movie. "_Go ahead. Try me._" Max Jackson dared. Suddenly, the movie powered down. The ogre turned around and roared. "What happened to the movie?" Eli asked as the gang mounted their mechas. Just then, a molenoid exited the projection booth. "The shows over! The exit is that way! Everybody out! Ja, hurry! You're the last ones! No refunds!" The molenoid said. But then, the ogre grabbed the molenoid. The gang looked on. "Hmmm. Perhaps he was hoping for a refund." Pronto guessed. "Doubtfully." Lash said. Kord shook his head. "Come on!" Eli said, taking off. The rest of the gang soon followed. Trixie took out her camera and was about to follow. "Where do you think you're going?" Billy asked, stopping Trixie in her tracks as he and his gang rode up towards her. "Don't you losers ever give up?!" Trixie asked, annoyed. Billy rode up beside her. "You're the ones who give up, remember? That's why we're taking this little pitstop before getting out of here." Billy said. "I'll take that, and then take you!" He reached for the camera, but Trixie pulled it out of reach. "Hey! Hands off my stuff!" She warned. "You got proof that the Hooligang is better than the Shane Gang. And once we put it on the Slugnet, everyone will see." Billy said. "Eli Shane, my boyfriend, giving up a duel with a gang of worthless nobodies to protect people? Oh, and look at him now, saving that guy while you guys just sit around like Flopper slugs." Trixie said, fixing her camera on her team riding towards the ogre. Billy took notice of this and drew his blaster. "Just keep that camera pointed at _me._ I'll show you who's the better man. And you'll get yourself a better, handsomer boyfriend." Billy said, riding towards the fight. "Pft. Like I'd date a sore loser like you." Trixie muttered with a scoff.

The mole screamed as the ogre roared. The gang rode up towards the ogre. "What do we do? Hitting it with slugs only made it bigger!" Kord said. "Then we gotta get creative." Eli said. "How are we gonna do that?" Lash asked. Eli drew his blaster, firing Spinner at the ogre's legs. Spinner wrapped a web around its legs, making it trip and drop the mole into the snow. The ogre shook off the pain and started to grow again. "Okay, well, good news is it's not just hitting it. Anything that makes it angry makes it bigger." Eli deduced. "This is good news?!" Pronto asked as they rode ahead.

Eli picked up the mole. "Hop on! We're all getting out of here." He said. "Good call, kid!" Mario agreed as they rode past the ogre's feet. The ogre roared as they ran for the exit. Meanwhile, the Hooligang rode up. "Ha! Just like the Shane Gang, running from the fight!" Billy said, firing a Rammstone. "Yeah. What a bunch of wimps!" Croesus added, firing an Armashelt. Eli took notice of this. "Wait! No! What're you doing?!" He asked. "Trying to prove that he's better than you. And trying to score with me in the process." Trixie explained, riding up. The slugs hit the ogre, only making it grow bigger with anger. "Yeah! Well, he's better at making that thing bigger." Eli said. The gang rode towards the exit, avoiding the falling ice debris. "Most slugs only anger the ogre. You can't beat him without the soothing song of the Slyren slug." The mole explained. "Slyren slug?" Eli asked. "Wait! Lash, don't you have your Slyren slug?" Harley asked. "Well, yeah. But I left Sleepy at the lair." Lash said regretfully. "Well then, where can we get a Slyren?" Eli asked. "Oh, there's a whole big nest of them deep inside the ice ogre's lair, ja." The molenoid explained. "Deep in there?!" Pronto asked in shock. "You'd have to be crazy to go in there." Vance said. The gang stopped to let the molenoid down. "Go! We'll try to slow it down." Eli said. The mole nodded and ran for the entrance.

The ogre turned and roared as the gang rode back in. Eli slung Burpy wrapping the ogre in Flamespire, melting the ice where it was standing and trapping it. "That'll slow him down. Let's go!" Eli said. But then, Eli started to feel bad for the ogre. Just then, Billy rode up. "You filming this, Camera Cutie?" He asked. "Every single frame." Trixie said, filming Billy. "I want everyone to see how the Hooligang stop this thing, while Eli and Harley Shane ran like chickens." Billy taunted, clucking like a chicken. "Oh, this is too good." Trixie said, finding Billy's foolish voice very amusing. Billy fired a Tazerling at the ogre's head, zapping it and making it grow even more. Everyone cringed and rode off towards the exit, but the ogre dug out of the hole and hit the cavern roof, caving in the entrance. "Aw man! We're trapped! The entrance is caved in!" Billy said. "Because of _you!_" Eli blamed. "What're you blaming me for?! I'm the only one trying to slug this thing!" Billy said. "Exactly! We're trapped in here because of your stupidity!" Eli said, now getting more angrier than the ogre. Billy started to get equally angry at being called stupid. "Uh guys? Take cover now, fight later!" Harley suggested as the ogre stomped over. "Get to cover! Everyone into the snack shack!" Eli called. Everyone ran inside the snack shack as the ogre followed and started pounding on the roof.

Everyone cringed as the ogre pounded the roof. "We need that Slyren slug." Eli said. "We're not gonna have time to find it if we don't shore up the glacier!" Kord said. "He's right. If it falls, it'll crush the whole cavern!" Mario said. "All the more reason we need to escape! Alright! Pronto can dig a tunnel. But I will need some help." Pronto said. Just then, the ogre smashed a big hole in the roof. "What you all need to do is be quiet! You're throwing me off my aim!" Billy said, trying to get a shot in. "That's not gonna work! You gotta listen!" Eli protested. "Yeah right. Like I'd ever take orders from losers like you." Billy said, firing a Rammstone at the ogre. "See?" Billy said chuckling. But the ogre pounded roof again, making everyone cringe. Billy, Croesus, Sid and the hunters ran outside, firing more slugs as the ogre chased them.

The Shane Gang looked on. "Let them go. Maybe they can at least keep that thing busy." Eli said. "That's a big if, bro." Harley said. "So, what now?" Lash asked. "Harley and I'll go for the Slyren. You guys take care of the rest." Eli said. Trixie took Eli's face and kissed him. "Good luck." She said. Eli nodded. "Come on, Harley." He said. Both Eli and Harley ran into the glacier. As they ran deeper inside, they started to hear something. "Hey Eli, you hear that? Sounds like-" Harley started. "Singing?" Eli finished. They looked up towards an ice ledge. "We're gonna need to get across the hard way." Eli said. Both Eli and Harley fired Larry and Splatz at the ledge. The Lariats hooked their Wrapplers onto the blasters. "Oh, this is so gross!" Eli said in disgust. "You said it!" Harley agreed.

* * *

Meanwhile, Billy started riding the ogre's head, whooping like an idiot. "Yee-Haw! Hey, Camera Cutie, look over here! Whoo! You getting this?!" He asked. The ogre almost stepped on the gang. "Stop! You're leading it right on top of us!" Trixie said. "Yeah? Well, I wouldn't have to if you come over here and film me!" Billy said as the ogre tried to shake him off. Kord grabbed Pronto before he got stomped on. "We are never getting out of here alive, are we?" Kord asked. "Probably not." Vance said.

* * *

Back at the ledge, Eli and Harley started climbing the Wrapplers, but for some reason, they started getting sleepy. "Don't know why I'm so-(yawns)-tired suddenly." Eli yawned. "Yeah, I feel ready to-(yawns)-take a nap." Harley added. Eli and Harley continued to yawn as they reached the top. Harley pulled himself up, but fell asleep after. Eli grabbed the edge, but fell asleep and lost his grip, falling down into the abyss. Burpy sparked his flame, waking him up. Eli saw he was falling and grabbed the Wrappler. "Thanks, Burpy. It must be the-(yawns)-singing." He said. He climbed his way back up and pulled himself up next to Harley, still asleep. Burpy hopped over to Harley's shoulder and sparked his flame, waking him up. "Argh! I'm up! I'm totally up!" Harley said. "Harley, look." Eli said pointing at a big crystal in the middle of a bunch of sleeping ice ogres. It was covered with singing Slyrens. "Slyrens!" Eli yawned. "That's why we're so sleepy. The Slyrens singing is like-(yawns)-a lullaby." Harley deduced. Eli and Harley walked towards the crystal, yawning in the process. "Hey there, little-(yawns)-guy." Eli said, scratching a Slyren on the head. "We need your help." The Slyren hopped into Eli's hand. The other Slyrens stopped singing. Eli and Harley then shook off the effects. "Okay good. Now we're up." Eli said. Suddenly, there was a growl. The brothers turned to see. The ogres were waking up! "Unfortunately, so are they." Harley said. "And it looks like it's just in time for breakfast!" Eli said in worry.

Eli put the Slyren on his shoulder as an ogre with a scar on his right eye woke up behind them. Eli and Harley ran as it tried to grab them. The Shane brothers ran, dodging ogres left and right. Burpy chirped as another ogre came up from behind them. They dodged to the left as it slid its head into a crystal. But they saw another ogre standing in front of their path. They looked back to another that was chasing them, then to each other. "Go low?" Harley asked. "Go low." Eli confirmed. The brothers slid under the ogre as the other slammed into it. As they ran for the edge, Eli loaded and fired Suds. They jumped and grabbed her tentacles. They floated towards the bottom as the ogres gathered at the ledge. Suds popped back to her protform as Eli and Harley rolled to safety. The ogres roared. "Try coming after us now!" Eli taunted. The ogres backed away from the ledge. Eli and Harley fist bumped and prepared to leave. But suddenly, the ogre with the scar jumped across the ledges and landed near the brothers, roaring in anger. "Hey, you I didn't really mean it!" Eli said. "Yeah, it was only a joke!" Harley said as they both ran for the entrance.

* * *

Meanwhile, Pronto and Lash were trying to dig a tunnel in the cave-in. "This might be easier if we had Eli's Crystalid." Pronto said. "Yeah, well, Eli's not here to lend us Digger now, is he?" Lash asked. At the time, Croesus, Sid and the hunters continued shooting slugs at the giant ogre. Billy hopped over and fired a Tazerling, shocking the ogre with Tazerbolt. "Did you catch that one on camera? Just like Max Jackson, right?" Billy asked. "Almost like Max Jackson, partner." Croesus said. But as usual, the ogre just grew even bigger. "ARGH! WOULD YOU STOP GROWING?!" Billy asked annoyed. "It would if we stop shooting it." Sid said. "You're not helping!" Billy yelled in Sid's face. The ogre prepared to stomp on all 6 of them. They scattered before its foot dropped.

The Hooligang scattered passed Trixie, Vance, Kord and Mario. "Too bad he isn't an actor. At least then we could direct him to do what we want." Trixie said. "Yeah. If we had a movie director." Kord said. Vance had a lightbulb go off in his head. "Say, don't we already have a movie director in our gang?" He asked. Trixie got the idea. "Actually, yes. We kinda do." She said.

As the ogre went to grab Croesus and the hunters, Billy hopped onto its foot. The ogre took notice and tried to squash Billy, but he jumped off and the ogre smashed its own foot. It roared in pain as Billy landed near Trixie, who was filming him. "Now that was totally Max Jackson." She said. "Yeah, I know." Billy said as he got on his feet and fixed his hair. "I gotta admit it, you're a natural. The camera eats you up." Trixie said, making Billy feel good about himself. "This is too good not to get on film. Except for-" "Except for what?!" Billy asked. "There's just something a little off. It's 6 of you against the one ogre." Trixie pointed out. The ogre noticed the 2 and jumped at them, but they jumped out of the way. "Ever seen _Badder than Bad_?" Trixie asked. "Only about 15 times." Billy said. "I've seen it 16." Trixie gloated before dodging the ogre's fist. They ran as the ogre tried to grab them. "Watch out!" Trixie said, shoving Billy out of the way before the ogre belly-flopped on them. "Does Max ever have anyone helping him?" Trixie asked. "Fat chance. Max Jackson always works alone." Billy said. "Exactly. Your new friends are just stealing the spotlight. I can't focus on_ you_. Tell them to dig the tunnel and seal up the cracks. This is your big Max Jackson moment." Trixie said. Billy thought about it. "Yeah. _I'm _the star! Not them!" Billy said.

Billy turned to his gang. "Alright you punks, listen up! You 3, help the blue turkey, Volt and Bravado seal up the cracks in the glacier! Sid, do what the mole and other kid are doing! Croesus, you're with me!" He ordered. "Did I hear that right? You want to share the spotlight with Croesus?" Trixie asked. "Why not? Max Jackson may work alone, but I actually enjoy Croesus' company." Billy said. "Actors. Play to their ego and it works every time." Trixie said, shaking her head.

The 3 hunters joined Kord, Vance and Mario. "Okay, what do you need us to do?" One of the hunters asked. "We'll soak up the cracks with our AquaBeeks. You guys freeze the wet spots with your Frostcrawlers." Kord explained. The hunters nodded. Kord, Vance and Mario fired their AquaBeeks as the hunters fired their Frostcrawlers. The Aquabeeks soaked the cracks with Aquajet while the Frostcrawlers froze it all up with Deepfreeze.

Sid ran over to help Pronto and Lash. "You know what you're doing is gonna lake too long, right?" Sid said, quoting on a still digging Pronto. "You got a better idea?" Lash asked. "How about this?" Sid said, firing a Hop Rock at the cave-in and creating a hole, only for the 3 of them to get covered in snow. "Seriously?" Lash asked as Pronto shook his head. Sid sheepishly smiled.

The ogre walked around looking for everyone. "And ACTION!" Trixie called. "Hey, Snotface!" Billy called. "You think you're pretty cool?" He turned to Croesus. "Well then, how 'bout you take this snow and flake?!" Croesus said, throwing a snowball at the ogre. The snowball hit the ogre in the shoulder, making it chase after the 3. "Get it? Flake. Like a snowflake. Cause he's an ice ogre!" Croesus said, laughing at his joke. "Good one, rich boy." Billy laughed. Trixie just groaned.

They ducked back inside the snack shack. "We got this action hero thing down." Billy said. "Yeah. Except action heroes usually win." Trixie pointed out. "So, what do we do now?" Croesus asked. "Wait! I got it! How 'bout we shoot it with more slugs?" Billy suggested, taking aim at the ogre. "Brilliant call, chap." Croesus said, taking aim. "Uh no! That makes it bigger. How 'bout you try _not_ shooting it?" Trixie suggested. "But if we don't shoot it, what do we do?!" Billy asked. "Yeah. You got a better idea, Camera Girl?" Croesus added. Trixie started to think, until she looked at an empty popcorn box, getting an idea.

The 3 snuck up behind the ogre. Billy and Croesus felt unsure "I don't know. I can't see Max Jackson doing this." Billy said, holding up a full box of popcorn. "Are you kidding me? This is cinematic gold!" Trixie said, holding up a small piece of popcorn. "Embrace the popcorn. _Be_ the popcorn." Billy and Croesus looked at each other. They smiled slyly and nodded. Billy shoved Trixie's hand aside and pulled up his blaster. "I've got a better idea. Get us finishing him off with a Rammstone and Grenuke combo!" He said. "Excellent idea." Croesus agreed, pulling out his blaster. "NO!" Trixie yelled, stepping in front of them. Billy and Croesus glared. "I told you, if you shoot it, it'll get bigger and angrier!" Trixie said. "Oh pish-posh! As if it cares." Croesus said. "Yeah! It's just a big, ugly beast!" Billy said. Both Billy and Croesus fired their Rammstone and Grenuke slugs at the ogre. But they just bounced off the ogre's back. The ogre turned to face the 3, roared and grew some more. "We're doomed." Trixie muttered.

"TRIXIE!" Eli's voice yelled. Trixie, Billy and Croesus turned to see Eli and Harley running out of the tunnel. "WE'RE SAVED!" Trixie screamed, happy to see her boyfriend and his brother. That is until the rest of the ice ogres followed the Shane brothers. "No, you were right the first time. We're doomed." Billy said. "Yep. Leave it to a Shane or 2 to make a problem worse." Croesus added. Trixie zoomed her camera on Eli's shoulder, noticing a certain slug. "He's got the Slyren! Shoot it!" Trixie called. "I can't! We only have one!" Eli said. "Okay. We just got to get our ogre together with those, then he can shoot them all at the same time." Trixie explained. Billy scoffed "Yeah right. So that Eli and Harley can be the heroes? What's in that for us?!" Billy asked. The big ice ogre roared and threw his fist down. The 3 dodged. "Uh, how 'bout getting out of this cave alive?" Trixie asked. Billy and Croesus dodged the ogre's foot and ran for a nearby cave. "Billy, Croesus wait!" Trixie called. "Move! Into the projection booth!" Eli called as he, Harley and Trixie ran for the projection booth.

Billy and Croesus ducked behind the cave wall. "Great! Now that the Shane brothers are back, they can take all the glory and be the heroes! AGAIN!" Billy cussed. "Wait! They said that Slyren slug can stop these beasts, didn't they?" Croesus asked. Billy scoffed. "As if a slug's harpie voice can stop these things." He said.

The 3 ducked inside the projection booth as the big ogre cornered them. "How'd that one get so big?!" Harley asked. "Take a guess." Trixie said. Harley growled. "Great! We need a new plan here! We can't fire the Slyren on all of them with half of them chasing after Billy and Croesus." Eli said. Just then, the ogre broke through the glass and tried to grab them. "I got those 2 to help us before, and I can do it again." Trixie said, putting a plan together with her camera and the projector.

Meanwhile, the ice ogres were terrorizing the entire cavern. The one with the scar came up behind Kord, Vance, Mario and the 3 hunters. It threw a punch, but Kord caught it. Vance and Mario pushed his back to help him. The hunters ran away. "Hey! Where're you guys going?! It's only a 10,000-pound, flesh-eating monster!" Kord called. "Not helping, Kord." Vance said as they struggled.

Another ogre charged towards Pronto, Lash and Sid. The 3 separated. The ogre saw Pronto and Lash run inside a little cave and blocked the entrance.

Sid and his hunters regrouped with Billy and Croesus as they fired at another ogre.

Soon enough, everyone was cornered or pinned down by ice ogres left and right. Harley was dodging the big ogre's hand left and right as Eli and Trixie were setting up her camera on the projector. "Anytime now, you guys!" Harley said. "Almost there." Trixie said as she typed in the finishing touches. "And…now!" She activated the projector.

"_Hey Snotface!_" Billy's voice called from the screen. The ice ogres turned their attention to the screen. The ogres roared and headed for the screen. "Look at us, Croesus! We're totally movie stars!" Billy gloated. "I just might cry!" Croesus said, starting to tear up. "Don't celebrate yet! Look!" Sid said, pointing to Eli running towards the ogres. "STOP HIM!" Billy yelled as they charged back in. The big ice ogre, still next to the projection booth, took notice on the ones who attacked him.

Eli stopped behind the ogres and held up a barrel for the Slyren, who jumped in. Trixie was about to power off the projector. "Wait! Look!" Harley called, pointing to the Hooligang taking aim at Eli. "ELI!" Trixie screamed. Eli turned to see the Hooligang aiming their blasters at him. But before he could do anything, they suddenly got covered by a big pile of snow. Eli turned to see the big ogre dusting off his hands. "Thanks!" He called. The ogre gave 2 thumbs up. "Now!" Eli yelled as he loaded the Slyren into his blaster. Trixie shut down the projector. The ogres got confused until they heard Eli's blaster. The ogres roared, as did the Slyren as Eli fired him. The slug transformed and started singing his Sleepytime attack. The ogres started to get drowsy from the attack and dropped dead asleep. The Slyren transformed back and hopped back towards Eli. "Thanks for the help, little guy." Eli said, picking up the slug. "You know, I could use a slug like you on our team. How 'bout it?" He asked. The Slyren chittered and nodded. "Welcome aboard. How 'bout I call you Dozer?" Eli asked. The slug hopped on Eli's shoulder and chittered.

Eli walked towards the rest of the gang, along with the big ice ogre, now back to its normal size from Dozer's song. "Nice shot, babe. Max Jackson couldn't have done it better." Trixie said. "Pronto could have." Pronto fibbed. Lash scoffed. Pronto glared at the boy. "Well, you couldn't have because we were busy trying to procure an exit!" Lash said. "Oh, speaking of which. Eli, may I?" He asked, pointing to Digger's barrel. "Go nuts." Eli said, giving Digger to Lash. Lash loaded Digger and fired him towards the cave-in. Digger transformed and drilled an escape tunnel. "Show-off!" Pronto muttered.

Eli turned to the ogre. "Hey, thanks for the help with the Hooligang." He said. The ogre growled gently and nuzzled up to Eli. "Aw. I think we have a new friend." Trixie said. "Now we definitely need to remodel the hideout." Harley said with impression. "Glacier's all fixed too. Solid as a rock." Kord said. "Hey, and Trixie got one of her movies up on the big screen." Harley said. "Yeah. Turns out we have a real movie director after all." Kord stated, gently elbowing Trixie. "Thanks. But next time. I wanna work with a better cast." Trixie said. "Well, congrats any way, Trix." Eli said, taking his girlfriend's hand. "Thank you, my brave action hero." Trixie said, moving closer to wrap her arms around her boyfriend. They stared at each other romantically for a few seconds.

Kord then cleared his throat, interrupting the moment. "Yeah. Well, I'm totally beat. And so are my slugs." He said, pointing to his sleeping slugs. "I'm just glad it's all over." "It's not over!" Billy's voice called. They turned to see the Hooligang, free from the snow and aiming their blasters at them. "Oh, come on!" Harley groaned. "Do these losers ever give up?" Mario asked. "Come on, Billy. It _is_ over. We took out the ogres." Eli said. "_You_ didn't do anything! _We_ were the ones on screen! You saw what happened. _We_ were the ones who got all of the ogres together! So, _we_ were the ones who saved the day!" Billy said. "That's right. And once everyone sees what we've done, no one will think your gang is better than our gang again." Croesus said. "Now hand over the camera, all of your slugs and your girlfriend, Shane, or get your butts kicked again." Billy warned.

Eli noticed something moving behind the Hooligang. "Yeah, I don't think so." He said. Billy just smiled nastily. "Fine! Then we'll take them anyway after we-" "You'll be doing nothing of the sort, Billy boy." A familiar voice came from behind. "Nothing except surrender." Another voice said Billy and his new gang turned to see the last thing they'd expect. "Shorty?! Goggles?!" Billy said in shock. Billy's former gang members, Goggles and Shorty, now dressed in security uniforms and aiming their blasters at the Hooligang. "What are you traitors doing here?! And what are you wearing?" Billy asked. "They're with me, felon." Another voice said. In between Shorty and Goggles walked in the Shane Gang's old friend Millard Milford, along with a platoon of security slingers. "Millard!" Eli said. "Good to see you, Shane Gang." Millard said, saluting.

"But how'd you security slingers know we were here?!" Billy asked. "I put in a call through their network while Eli was putting the ogres here back to sleep." Kord said. "And we're putting _you_ under arrest, Billy." Shorty said. "What?! No! My new gang and I just saved this cavern!" Billy protested. "Which you also put in danger in the first place." Goggles said. "Drop the blasters and put your hands behind your back, Hooligang." Millard said. "We're not doing anything until we get what we came for, Pig-Face!" Billy cussed. But as he was about to fire his blaster, he got jumped from behind. Goggles and Shorty dogpiled him and handcuffed his hands behind his back. Croesus and the hunters tried to turn around but were also dogpiled by the other security slingers. "Hooligang, you're all under arrest for the crimes of disturbing the peace, nearly destroying the cavern glacier, causing harm to these fine heroes and the ice ogres, and disrespecting Millard Milford, security slinger." Millard said, reading the charges.

As the Hooligang were now being dragged away to holding trailers, Trixie was filming the last bit of their cussing protests on her camera. "So, how'd you 2 get to be security slingers?" Harley asked. "Well, a few months after we last saw you guys, we came to Caverna Mall where we met Millard." Shorty started. "We figured what better way to start off our Hooligang-free career than as security slingers." Goggles said. "They walked up to me and asked for a job as security slingers. At first, I was reluctant, but when they said they were friends of yours, how could I refuse." Millard finished. "Good for them. Jobs as security slingers is just the new start these 2 needed." Kord stated. "Although their personal time together is a little discomforting at times." Millard whispered, pointing to Shorty and Goggles, who were making out heavily. "Cut them a break. They couldn't do any of that when they were working for Dr. Blakk." Kord advised.

Eli walked over to Trixie, still filming Billy and his gang being loaded up. "This may be your best work yet." He said, putting his arm around her. "Yep. Can't wait for everyone to see it when I post it on the Slugnet." Trixie said, turning her camera around, getting everyone in the shot. "And that's a wrap folks!" She said before turning off the camera.

**Well now, how about that huh? Billy, Croesus and the slug hunters team up to form a new Hooligang. The Shane Gang not only get a new slug, but a new pet in an ice ogre. Plus, Goggles and Shorty now security slingers. Stay tuned. Next chapter's gonna be my first own chapter. Leave a review in you'd like. Plus, I need ideas for a name for our new ice ogre. I welcome any ideas for names.**

**Author's note: Sorry if writing for this fanfiction was kinda slow. New year's been quite the ball buster for me, keeping me busy. My night classes were canceled at the week before they were supposed to start due to low enrolments, I started a workout program at my town gym, and the whole Coronavirus news has been worrying me.**

**Slug Arsenal:**

**Eli Shane: Burpy (Infurnus), Joules (Tazerling), Noodle (Flopper), Banger (Armashelt), Bolo (Polero), Rammer (Rammstone), Rocky (Hop Rock), Chiller (Frostcrawler), Burner (Lavalynx), Suds (Bubbaleone), Goober (Jellyish), Sparky (Grenuke), Doc (Boon Doc), Larry (Lariat), Gust (Tormato), Buzzsaw (Thresher), Digger (Crystalid), Spinner (Arachnet), Mucky (Dirt Urchin), Tangles (Vinedrill), Spooker (Frightgeist), Charger (Fandango), Stunts (Speedstinger), Glimmer (Phosphoro), Mo (Enigmo), Dazer (Hypnogriff), Urchin (Sand Angler), Dozer (Slyren)**

**Harley Shane: Matchstick (Flaringo), Squirm (Flopper), Frostbite (Frostcrawler), Webs (Arachnet), Gels (Jellyish), Zipper (Hoverbug), Ivy (Vinedrill), Masher (Rammstone), Frights (Frightgeist), Shredder (Thresher), Smelly (Flatulorhinkus), Claws (Armashelt), Splatz (Lariat)**

**Trixie Sting: Bluster (Tormato), Blizzard (Frostcrawler), Spider (Arachnet), Twirl (Polero), Balloon (Bubbaleone), Haunter (Frightgeist), Pounder (Rammstone), Slicer (Thresher), Rocks (Hop Rock)**

**Kord Zane: Bludgeon (Rammstone), Sploder (Hop Rock), Jolt (Tazerling), Trip (Polero), Flycatcher (Arrachnet), Floatie (Bubbaleone), Iceberg (Frostcrawler), Scorch (Flaringo), Jetstream (AquaBeek)**

**Pronto Geronimo: Stinky (Flatulorhinkus), Slimey (Jellyish), Soapy (Bubbaleone), Bruiser (Rammstone), Flame (Flaringo), Loogie (Lariat), Windy (Tormato)**

**Vance Volt: Blast (Hop Rock), Bloom (Vinedrill), Crust (Lavalynx), Legs (Arachnet), Swimy (AquaBeek)**

**Mario Bravado: Ricochet (Speedstinger), Slide (Frostcrawler), Crawler (Arachnet), Echo (AquaBeek)**

**Lash: Zing (Tazerling), Speedy (Speedstinger), Hopper (Hop Rock), Bubba (Bubbaleone), Stinx (Flatulorhinkus), String (Polero), Goat (Rammstone), Sleepy (Slyren), Webber (Arachnet), Ice (Frostcrawler), Spark (Flaringo)**


	17. A Double Time Off

**Here it is. My first own chapter. And this will introduce the duo of Frost and Flame. Enjoy.**

Chapter 17: A Double Time Off

Harley was riding back to the hideout on Delta. He had just returned with some supplies the gang needed to remodel the base since bringing home their new ice ogre, now named Rath, after that incident with Billy and his new Hooligang. Harley reached the base, parked Delta in the garage and walked in. "Guys, I'm home!" He called. "Hey bro." Eli said, giving Harley their soul brother hug. "The others home?" Harley asked. "Just me, Trixie, Mario and Lash. Kord and Pronto are at the mech forge helping Grendel and Vance is at a Slug Run in Fungus Cavern today." Eli explained. "Well, it's good that everyone's taking some time off." Harley said. "Speaking of which, Mario's taking me and Trixie to his restaurant. It's date night there tonight and he wants to make a double date between us and him and his girlfriend." Eli said. "Sounds like fun." Harley said, until he realized something. "But with you 3 gone, what am I gonna do?" He asked. Eli thought for a minute until he got an idea. "Why don't you and Lash go for a mech stroll somewhere?" Eli suggested. "He's still bummed on Twist. So, I think he could use some company." "Hmm. Sounds okay to me. I'll do it." Harley agreed.

At that moment, Trixie and Mario came down. "Come on, Eli! Katy called and is waiting for us!" Mario called as he headed out the door. "Coming!" Eli called back. He looked to Burpy. "Burpy, you stay with Harley and Lash tonight. Okay?" He asked. Burpy nodded and hopped to Harley's shoulder. Eli then walked to join Trixie at the door. "See you when we get back!" Eli called as they walked out. Harley sighed deeply. "Alright. Now then." He said, looking over at Lash sitting by the window. He walked over to join him. "Hey." He said. "Hey." Lash said back. "Still thinking 'bout Twist, huh?" Harley asked. "Yeah." Lash said sadly. "Well, I've got a good idea to take your mind off him. How 'bout you and me take a mecha ride somewhere? You know. Hang out. The 2 of us. And our slugs of course." Harley suggested. Lash thought about it. "Sure. That might help." Lash said. "Sweet! Then let's go!" Harley said.

As soon as they left, Trixie had uncertain thoughts. "Eli? Do you think it was a good idea to have Harley and Lash have a day off to themselves while we have our date night?" She asked. "Don't worry, Trix. Harley and Lash can handle themselves. Whether in a duel or just hanging out. Plus, it will help Lash with getting over his thoughts on Twist." Eli assured. "Eli's right. They'll be fine." Mario added. "Well, okay." Trixie said, deciding to let the matter slide.

At that moment, Harley and Lash rode into town, looking for a spot to hang out. "Sure is nice here in town, huh Lash?" Harley asked. "Yep. Feels good to get out of the hideout and hit the streets." Lash said. Suddenly, there was a boom and people started screaming. "What was that?!" Lash asked. "One way to find out." Harley said. They rode ahead, peaking around a corner. They saw a couple of dudes with blasters, slinging slugs and looting buildings. "So much for a relaxing mecha ride into town." Harley said, glaring at the men.

* * *

**(Intro)**

* * *

The 2 men continued to fire slugs all over the town. Harley and Lash continued to stare. "Who are these guys?" Harley asked. "I can't say for sure, but I think those 2 are Frost and Flame." Lash said. "Frost and Flame?" Harley asked. "Yeah. These 2 are a very notorious duo of mercenaries. Wanted in over 27 different caverns. Frost uses Frostcrawlers, while Flame uses Flaringos." Lash explained. "But why would these 2 attack this cavern?" Harley asked. "I don't know." Lash said. Harley took a good look at the 2 slingers, noticing a cage of orange slugs in between them. "Wait. They've got a cage full of slugs." He said, pointing to the cage. Lash took a good look at the slugs in the cage. "Those aren't any slugs, Harley. Those are Hexlet slugs!" He said in realization. "Hexlets? Jinxer slugs?" Harley asked. Lash nodded. "Why would they want Hexlet slugs?" Harley asked.

At that time, Flame used an Arachnet to net up another batch of Hexlets trying to hop away. He picked up the net and brought it to Frost, who held up the cage. Frost opened it and Flame dropped the Hexlets inside. "Think this will be enough?" Flame asked. "Maybe. But why stop here? Let's grab us another dozen Hexlets." Frost suggested. "You're right. The more Hexlets, the more money we'll get for selling them on the Slugterran Black Market." Flame said. They both started to laugh maniacally and resumed their work.

Lash went wide-eyed. "Slugterran Black Market?! They're selling Hexlets on the Black Market?!" He asked in disbelief. "What's a Slugterran Black Market?" Harley asked. "It's a criminal marketplace where crooks like gear counterfeiters, slug smugglers and mecha beast chop shoppers go to buy or sell illegal mecha beast parts or super rare slugs to the lowest of the low." Lash explained. Now Harley was really miffed. "Oh, is that so? Well, we'll just see about that!" He said, standing up and stomping towards the ongoing chaos. "Hey, wait for me!" Lash called and running after him, figuring this was gonna happen.

Frost and Flame had just loaded up another batch of Hexlet slugs into the cage. They placed the cage into their carrier along with other cages loaded with Hexlets. "Hey!" Harley's voice called. The duo turned to see Harley and Lash standing behind them with angry faces and crossed arms. "Buzz off, kiddies." Flame said. "Yeah. You wouldn't wanna get hurt." Frost added. "You might wanna take your own advice. Especially if you don't release those slugs in 5 seconds." Harley warned. Flame took a good look at Harley. "Wait. I recognize this kid. He's one of the Shane brothers!" Flame said in realization. "What?!" Frost asked in shock. "That's right. Harley Shane is my name. Protecting the peace for people and slugs alike is my game." Harley said. "Oh, this is gonna be a blast. We can sell these slugs on the Black Market _and_ take out a Shane at the same time!" Frost said. "Great call, partner!" Flame said liking the idea. The duo drew their blasters and aimed at Harley and Lash.

* * *

Meanwhile, Eli, Trixie and Mario arrived at Ricochet Pizza. "Babe! We're here!" Mario called. Mario's girlfriend, Katy **(Identical to the girl giving Kord that pedicure at Club Slug)**, walked in from the kitchen. "Mario!" She cried, running over and jumping into Mario's arms, kissing him full on the lips. "Whoa! She sure seems happy to see Mario." Eli said. Trixie nodded. Mario and Katy broke apart to breathe after at least 2 minutes of kissing. "Oh! Katy, this is Eli and Trixie. Guys, this is my girlfriend, Katy." Mario introduced. "Nice to meet you." Eli said, holding out his hand. Suddenly, Katy just brought Eli and Trixie into a big tight hug. "It's a pleasure to meet you. You brought my beloved Mario back into slug slinging and made him the man I fell in love with again." She said. "It was nothing." Eli said, gasping for air. Trixie gasped as well. Katy realized what she was doing and let go quickly. "Sorry. I was just so happy to hear that my beloved Mario had come out of retirement." She said. Mario put an arm around her. "Just breathe babe." He said. "Right." Katy said, taking a deep breath and turning back to Eli and Trixie. "Right. Well then, please be seated then, Eli and Trixie. We will present you with our date night special." She said, walking back to the kitchen with Mario. "Well, shall we?" Eli asked, holding out his arm. "We shall." Trixie said, linking to her boyfriend's arm and they both walked to their table.

* * *

Back at the town, Harley and Lash prepared to face off against Frost and Flame. "Best for you 2 to surrender right now." Frost suggested. "Yeah. Save us all time from embarrassing yourselves." Flame finished. Harley and Lash just glared. "You take Frost and I'll take Flame." Harley suggested. "Sounds good to me." Lash agreed. Both Harley and Lash drew their blasters and fired. Harley fired Masher and Lash fired Ice. Frost and Flame dodged and fired back. Harley and Lash jumped out of the way. Harley fired Smelly while Lash fired Speedy. Frost fired another Frostcrawler and created an ice wall, deflecting the 2 slugs back at the 2 Shane gangers. Harley braced himself as Smelly hit him, covering him in Blorfball. "Oh! That is really ripe!" He cried, plugging his nose. As Frost and Flame fired more slugs, Harley and Lash ducked behind a big piece of rubble. "Ha! Guess you 2 made a mistake not coming here with rest of your gang!" Flame called. "Time to put you 2 on ice!" Frost punned, firing another Frostcrawler, freezing Harley and Lash's hiding spot. "What do we do now?" Lash asked. "Best to retreat for now. That way we can come up with a new plan." Harley said. With a hesitated but agreeable nod, Lash followed Harley back to Delta and Jack. They quickly rode out as Frost and Flame fired more slugs. "Ha! Look at them run!" Flame said. "Don't put your thoughts on ice yet, Flame. They'll be back. One thing we should know about Shanes, they don't give up that easy." Frost explained.

Harley and Lash regrouped at a lush forest near the town outskirts. "Wow! That was rough." Lash said. "Yeah. But we've been through worse." Harley pointed out. "You think we should call the rest of the gang? I mean we can barely beat those 2 by ourselves." Lash suggested. "And tell them what? That we chickened out of a mayhem caused by a couple of brainless knuckleheads? They'll never let us live it down." Harley said. "And besides, it's Eli and Trixie's date night. You really wanna pull them from that?" Lash thought about that for a second. "No." He said. "Good." Harley said.

* * *

Speaking of which, Eli and Trixie were already on their second date night pizza. "Mmm! I really had no idea that Mario could make a good pizza." Trixie said with a small mouthful. "Me neither. Well, except all those pizzas Vance and I ate when we first met Mario." Eli said. "Where did he learn to cook like this?" Trixie asked. "I'll ask. Say, Mario? Where did you learn to cook like this?" Eli asked. "Pizza chef near High Plains Cavern. Just shortly after I first retired. Yeah. He taught me all of his special recipes and even taught me how to make them with Ricochet." Mario explained. "Even taught a few to me." Katy added. "Oh, that explains why his pizzas are always so good." Trixie said before going back to eating her pizza.

* * *

"Now we need a plan to help those Hexlet slugs." Harley said, until he felt something rub against his shoe. He looked down to see a stray Hexlet slug waving at him. "Well, hello there." He said, holding his hand down to the slug. The slug hopped into the hand and was lifted up. "Nice to see at least one Hexlet slug is okay." Harley said. The slug just whimpered, thinking about his friends. "Don't worry little guy. We're gonna help your friends." Harley assured. The slug chittered with happiness. "Now then, back to the plan." Harley started to think, until he thought of something. "Hey Lash, what is it that Hexlet slugs do?" He asked.

* * *

Meanwhile, Eli and Trixie rode to Jungle Cavern. They finished a good pizza meal at Ricochet's and wanted to gaze at the view of the jungle. "It's very beautiful. Just like when we started dating." Trixie said. Eli then thought of something. "Hey Trix?" He said. "Yeah babe?" Trixie said. "I have something to give you." Eli stood up and put something around Trixie's neck. Trixie looked at it. It was a small silver flower ring with a small emerald in the middle. "Eli, is this?" Trixie asked. "Yes. It's a promise ring." Eli said. Trixie smiled. "Trix, I know that we've only dated for a couple months now, but I know that deep in my heart, you're the one girl I wanna spend my life with. This ring was my father's gift to my mother when they got engaged. Now, I know we're only teenagers at the moment, but when we reach the proper age, will you marry me?" Eli asked. Trixie started to tear up. "Yes! A thousand times yes!" She cried as she threw her arms around Eli and kissed him.

* * *

Afterwards, Harley and Lash had just finished going over their plan to rid the city of Frost and Flame. "I don't know, Harley. Sounds risky. What if we mess up? The Hexlet's affects could probably affect us as well! I can't possibly bear to live with those conditions! Oh, Twist was right about me. I am weak!" Lash said in concern starting to panic. Harley slapped him. "Calm down, man! We won't know unless we try. And you are not weak. You are a great slug slinger. You just need the chance to prove it." He said. That made Lash perk up. "Now come on. It's time to put our plan to action." Harley said.

Back at the town, Frost and Flame had just rounded up another batch of Hexlet slugs. "Let's hope this'll be enough. I really wanna make that payday at the black market." Frost said. "This will be more than enough. So, don't you worry your chilly head, my cold breathed friend." Flame assured.

Suddenly, as they were about to leave, they both felt a presence nearby. They turned around to see Lash riding into town on his mecha. "Well, well. Looky here. It's that little Shane Ganger." Flame said. "You come back for another embarrassing beatdown, boy? And where's your Shane friend? He chicken out?" Frost asked. "It's just me, losers. I wanted to take you 2 on myself." Lash lied. Frost and Flame started to snicker. "What makes you think you can take us on by yourself? You can barely take us on, even with the Shane boy's help." Flame pointed out. "Well then, it's a good thing we have luck on our side now." Harley called from above. Frost and Flame looked up to see Harley standing on a ruined roof, aiming his blaster at them. The both gasped when they saw that he had a Hexlet slug loaded in his blaster. As Harley fired it, it transformed and hit Frost and Flame with a flash of its HyJinx attack.

Frost and Flame looked over themselves, thinking that they were alright. "Ha! Your little light show was impressive, but now, you've just sealed your doom, Shane!" Flame said, taking aim at Harley. But suddenly, when Flame pulled the trigger, the force from the blast pushed him back into a wall. Frost gasped at what happened and glared at Harley as he rejoined Lash. Frost pulled out his blaster, but as he tried to fire, the Frostcrawler loaded in it sneezed, causing the blaster to freeze up. Frost dropped his blaster in shock. Flame came to and saw what happened. "What did you do to us?!" He asked. "It's called Hexlet power, dummy." Harley said. "Hexlets cause bad luck to slingers like you when they reach velocity." Lash added. Flame just growled as he got up. He started to stomp towards them, but he then slipped on a banana that was dropped there from the attack. Frost tried to help, but he tripped on this on own feet and landed in a mud puddle. Harley and Lash laughed at their misfortune. What do you think, Lash? Shall we send them on their way?" Harley asked. "Yes, I think we shall." Lash said. They loaded their new Tormato slugs, Twister and Winger, and slung them at the unlucky slingers. Both Frost and Flame were caught in a double Slyphoon attack and blown into their own carriage, locking them both in.

As Lash let the trapped Hexlet slugs out of the cage, the crowd came back and cheered, and the leader walked up to Harley and Lash. "Well, looks like we owe the Shanes our thanks." He said. "You owe us nothing. It's what anyone in the Shane Gang would do for anybody. Man or slug." Harley said. Just then, the Hexlet slug from before hopped onto his shoulder. "And we couldn't have done it without little Lucky here." Harley added, tickling the slug's belly. "It's good to know that the Shanes are back." The leader said, shaking Harley's hand as Lash walked up to them. "Hey Harley, I think it's time to head back home now." Lash said. "Yeah, after all this excitement, I could use a good night sleep." Harley said.

Back at the lair, Harley and Lash were telling the gang the whole story of what happened. "And just as the Hexlet's effect too place, they started to trip all over the place." Harley explained. "Wow! Sounds like you guys had a blast of a good time." Kord said. "But if you guys had trouble with those 2 at first, you should've called us." Mario said. "We know, but we didn't want to pull you guys from your day off. Especially since it was Eli and Trixie's date night." Lash said. "Well, that was very nice of you." Trixie said. "Even more nice that the cavern leader gave you some Hexlet slugs for us as a reward." Eli said as a Hexlet, whom he calls Jinxer, hopped onto his shoulder, next to Burpy. Harley then noticed something around Trixie's neck. "Guys, is that what I think it is?" He asked. "Yes, it's our dad's engagement ring to our mom. Now Trixie and I are promised to each other." Eli said. "Dude! Congratulations!" Kord said, bringing Eli into a noogie. "Oh, this is so wonderful!" Lash said, bringing Trixie into a hug. Everyone else started to cheer and hug as well. "It's about time." Harley said, feeling proud for his brother.

Meanwhile, Frost and Flame were confined to jail. "Well, this is a fine how-do-you-do." Flame said with sarcasm. "This can not get any worse." Frost said. Just then, their cell door was opened. "You 2. Out. He paid for your bail." The guard said. Frost and Flame exited their cell and turned to see Dr. Blakk. "Dr. Blakk!" They said in shock. "You 2 have lost a big shipment in Hexlet slugs, but with my help, you 2 can be better slingers than you've both ever been. Good enough to even beat that pesky Shane Gang." Blakk offered. Frost and Flame thought about it and grinned. "When do we start?" They asked.

**Well, how about that? Introduction of Frost and Flame, plus the appearance of the Hexlet slug. And Eli and Trixie are engaged. Well, promised to be engaged. Who knows what's next for the Shane Gang? If you like this own chapter, leave a review if you'd like.**

**Thank you SkullGreymonX for the name. I like Rath. He's actually 7 on my top 10 favorite Ben 10 aliens.**

**Slug Arsenal:**

**Eli Shane: Burpy (Infurnus), Joules (Tazerling), Noodle (Flopper), Banger (Armashelt), Bolo (Polero), Rammer (Rammstone), Rocky (Hop Rock), Chiller (Frostcrawler), Burner (Lavalynx), Suds (Bubbaleone), Goober (Jellyish), Sparky (Grenuke), Doc (Boon Doc), Larry (Lariat), Gust (Tormato), Buzzsaw (Thresher), Digger (Crystalid), Spinner (Arachnet), Mucky (Dirt Urchin), Tangles (Vinedrill), Spooker (Frightgeist), Charger (Fandango), Stunts (Speedstinger), Glimmer (Phosphoro), Mo (Enigmo), Dazer (Hypnogriff), Urchin (Sand Angler), Dozer (Slyren), Jinxer (Hexlet)**

**Harley Shane: Matchstick (Flaringo), Squirm (Flopper), Frostbite (Frostcrawler), Webs (Arachnet), Gels (Jellyish), Zipper (Hoverbug), Ivy (Vinedrill), Masher (Rammstone), Frights (Frightgeist), Shredder (Thresher), Smelly (Flatulorhinkus), Claws (Armashelt), Splatz (Lariat), Twister (Tormato), Lucky (Hexlet)**

**Trixie Sting: Bluster (Tormato), Blizzard (Frostcrawler), Spider (Arachnet), Twirl (Polero), Balloon (Bubbaleone), Haunter (Frightgeist), Pounder (Rammstone), Slicer (Thresher), Rocks (Hop Rock)**

**Kord Zane: Bludgeon (Rammstone), Sploder (Hop Rock), Jolt (Tazerling), Trip (Polero), Flycatcher (Arachnet), Floatie (Bubbaleone), Iceberg (Frostcrawler), Scorch (Flaringo), Jetstream (AquaBeek)**

**Pronto Geronimo: Stinky (Flatulorhinkus), Slimey (Jellyish), Soapy (Bubbaleone), Bruiser (Rammstone), Flame (Flaringo), Loogie (Lariat), Windy (Tormato)**

**Vance Volt: Blast (Hop Rock), Bloom (Vinedrill), Crust (Lavalynx), Legs (Arachnet), Swimy (AquaBeek)**

**Mario Bravado: Ricochet (Speedstinger), Slide (Frostcrawler), Crawler (Arachnet), Echo (AquaBeek)**

**Lash: Zing (Tazerling), Speedy (Speedstinger), Hopper (Hop Rock), Bubba (Bubbaleone), Stinx (Flatulorhinkus), String (Polero), Goat (Rammstone), Sleepy (Slyren), Webber (Arachnet), Ice (Frostcrawler), Spark (Flaringo), Winger (Tormato), Witch (Hexlet)**


	18. Inheritance

_Chapter 18: Inheritance_

One late night at the Shane hideout, 2 figures dropped down onto the roof. A girl and a boy. Eli and his gang were all fast asleep. The one figure placed her hand on the window, delivering a virus that shut down the hideout's security system. The window opened up and the 2 climbed in, crawled around the ceiling and dropped down inside the hideout. Suddenly, the 2 came face to face with Pronto. But Pronto was sleepwalking. He walked past them, down the stairs, to the refrigerator.

The 2 figures dropped down to the lower level. "Ok, look around. It has to be here." The girl whispered. The 2 split up and started looking around the hideout. As they looked, the girl came across a picture of Eli, Harley and their parents. The boy crept up to the bed where Eli slept. "Now to get what's rightfully mine." The boy whispered. He reached down to the bed, but could only feel soft cushion. "What?!" The boy leapt down to the girl. "We have a problem. The one Shane boy, he's-" He couldn't finish, for the lights suddenly came on. "Can we help you?" Eli asked as he and Harley aimed their blasters at the 2 intruders. "How did you know we were here?" The girl asked. "Yeah. We disabled your alarm." The boy added. "Maybe. But this place has all sorts of eyes and ears." Harley said. And right on cue, Joules, Banger and Suds popped out from their hiding places. "So, you wanna play with slugs, huh?" The girl asked. "Good idea, sis." The boy said. They both turned to the brothers, prepping their special blaster gauntlets. "Let's play with slugs."

* * *

**(Intro)**

* * *

Eli, Harley and the thieves continued their standoff. But then, Trixie, Kord, Vance, Mario and Lash woke up. "I heard something." "What's going on?" "Can't a guy get some sleep around here?" "What's with the noise?" "Why is it always in the middle of a dream?" Everybody asked, catching Eli and Harley's attention. The thieves fired Arachnet slugs at the ceiling. The slugs fired webs from their bottoms, pulling the thieves towards the ceiling. The girl thief fired another Arachnet, webbing Eli's arm to a stool. The 2 thieves started to jump around the lair. "Okay. Not what I was expecting." Trixie said in shock and amazement. The girl thief fired a Speedstinger, knocking Trixie's blaster out of her hand. The thieves continued to swing on webs around the hideout. Kord fired Sploder, but ended up making a hole in the wall. "Hey! What's the rule about firing Hop Rocks in the house?" Trixie asked, pointing at the hole. "My bad!" Kord said sheepishly. Just then, Kord got pounced by the girl thief. Eli managed to move his stool over to them and fired Goober. Goober transformed and spat Loogi, but ended up hitting the tree in the room. "Use your Jellyishes! They're messy, but at least they won't destroy the place." Eli said. "Good call, Eli!" Mario said, firing his own Jellyish, Mess. Soon everyone started firing Jellyishes, but the thieves continued swinging around on Arachnet webs, dodging the Loogis. "Lucky thing we stocked up a lot of Jellyish slugs." Harley said, firing Gels. Burpy, Doc and Buzzsaw sat nearby to watch the action. As Eli continued to fire Jellyish after Jellyish, the force from the blaster pushed him and the stool into the couches, making the 3 slugs laugh. "A little help here guys!" Eli called to his slugs. The slugs hopped over. Buzzsaw chewed through the web while Burpy burned it.

The boy thief swung over Eli and took notice of the one slug. "There you are." He muttered. He was about to drop down, but just then, he got rammed by an Armashelt. He landed on his back, alerting Eli. Eli turned to see Vance holding a smoking blaster. "You're welcome." Vance said.

The girl thief then swung overhead. "You know, we might be able to settle this if you just tell us what you 2 want." Eli said. "We want what's ours!" The girl said, firing another Arachnet next to the hole. Trixie fired Balloon, soaking the wall with Foamaloo. The girl slipped off the foamed wall and dropped to the floor. "Thought a little soap would clean up this mess." Trixie said, dropping down and aiming her blaster at the girl. "There's nowhere to run. So, now might be a good time to tell us why Blakk sent you 2 before my friends here get trigger happy." Eli said as Kord, Mario and Lash aimed their blasters. "Blakk? We don't work for that slug turd. We work alone." The girl said, then kicked Trixie under her feet, hopped over the couch and webbed herself up and out through the hole. "You can't hide it forever." She said. "Wait! Hide what? Who are you guys?" Eli asked. "We want our share of that treasure!" The girl said. Pronto, who was still sleepwalking and carrying a sandwich, woke up upon hearing the word treasure. "Treasure?" He asked. "How long were you asleep?!" Harley asked with a snap. "And I promise you we'll get it!" She said. She looked to see her partner crawling towards the table, about to make a grab for Burpy. She fired another Arachnet at him, pulled him out of the hideout and swung away.

Eli watched as the 2 swung away. "Does anyone know who those 2 were?" He asked. "I'm still going with 2 of Blakk's lackies." Trixie said. "I don't know. No reason to lie about that. And they weren't using ghoul slugs. But what treasure could the girl be talking about?" Eli asked. "Obviously they were after the legendary Shane treasure." Trixie said. "Well, if it's so legendary, how come we've never heard of it?" Harley asked. "This wouldn't be the first time your dad kept something secret from you guys." Kord said. "He's got us there, E." Harley said. "Just think, you 2 could have a vast fortune hidden somewhere. You 2 could be rich!" Trixie said. "Rich." Pronto said dreamily. "Richer than me." Vance said. "Even richer than anybody in Slugterra." Mario added. "Rich? I don't know. Dad talked about caches of stuff hidden all over Slugterra. Things we'll need someday." Eli said. "Like that one in that cave where Twist and Nacho ambushed us." Harley pointed out. The rest of the gang looked at each other with big eager smiles. "But I think he would've said something about a fortune." Eli finished.

"Some of it could be hidden here, under our very noses!" Trixie said with excitement. And just like that, everyone started to search the entire lair. Trixie looked throughout the couch, Kord searched the breadboxes, Pronto hopped into a big box full of metal appliances, Vance searched the garage, Mario went to the bedrooms, and Lash looked in Wormy and Rath's pet pens.

Eli and Harley looked over at the picture of their family. "More secrets, huh Dad?" Eli asked. He took down the picture, revealing a safe. Everyone looked in their direction. Eli tapped the safe, trying to think of a way to open it. Suddenly, Kord punched it, breaking it open and scaring the Shane brothers. "Hey! A little warning next time please!" Harley said. "Oh, sorry." Kord said. Eli looked inside, finding some sort of chest. He pulled it out. Pronto squealed and hurried over. "Open it!" He said eagerly as the others walked over. "Okay, okay. But I'm not sure how. Or even where." Eli said, examining the chest. Pronto scoffed and took it. "Allow me." He said. He lifted it and attempted to slam it to the ground, but suddenly, before he could do so, it was snatched from him, making him confused. Harley knocked on his head and pointed to Kord. Kord examined the chest. "Haven't seen one of these in ages." He said. "What? Haven't seen what?" Harley asked. "The thing's been coated with Smolten. Only way we're getting this baby open is with a Forgesmelter slug." Kord explained as Pronto tried to grab the chest back. "Aw! But we don't have one of those!" Pronto complained. "Well, where can we find one?" Eli asked. "Oh, we would have to travel to the deepest regions of the Magma Cavern." Pronto said. "Are you out of your mind?!" Lash asked. "Lash is right. It's way too dangerous. It's basically molten lava." Trixie said. "And don't forget the Magma Monsters." Kord added with fear. "And the ferocious lava bats, that will swoop down and gorge themselves on my slandering brains." Pronto said, starting to cry. "Also, the fire geysers." Mario added. "Not to mention the lava tides that flow in and out every few hours." Vance said. "Sounds like my kind of place. Let's load up, gang!" Eli said, heading out. Everyone looked at him with shocked faces. "Oh, come on! Like you guys didn't see that coming?" Harley asked, following his brother.

As the gang rode their mechas off, the thieves watched them from the roof. "Why'd you pull me out so fast like that? I nearly had the Infurnus!" The boy whispered with annoyance. "We talked about this. You need to have patience!" The girl criticized. The boy sighed. "Fine. Then what're we gonna do?" He asked. "We're gonna follow them to the Magma Caverns. They know they need a Forgesmelter to open the chest. So, when they get to their nesting spot, we'll be waiting and we'll both get what we want." The girl explained. "Alright. We'll do it your way." The boy said as the girl jumped down. "For now." He muttered before jumping after.

* * *

Soon enough, the gang reached the Magma Caverns. "So, Eli, you and Harley don't find it at all ridiculous that your dad not only expected you 2 to find that chest without instructions, but he didn't even leave you with a way to open it if you found it?" Trixie asked. "Uh, Dad always liked me and Harley to figure things out for ourselves." Eli said regretfully. "And you're both cool with this?" Trixie asked. "It doesn't matter whether or not we're cool with it. It's just the way it is." Eli said, lowering his head. Trixie started feeling sorry for her fiancé now. But the feelings were to wait. A colony of lava bats flew up from the edge of the cliffs and swooped down to attack. The gang revved their mechas and ran for it. But the lava bats flew after them. "Pronto, sling up Stinky." Eli called. Pronto drew his baster and fired Stinky towards the bats. Eli followed with Suds. Suds ate Stinky, then swallowed up the entire lava bat colony. After a few seconds, Suds burped out the bats. They landed right on the path, trying to shake off the stink. "Oh, nice one." Trixie said. "I beg to differ." Kord said, looking at the one that landed in his arms. "Yeah. That was a little cruel." Harley agreed. "Yeah, okay. Let's round up a few and we'll treat them when we get back." Eli said. They rounded up a few of the bats in a couple of slug cages they kept from Undertow Cavern and continued on.

The gang soon came up to a big lava river. "Uh, how are supposed to cross an ocean of lava?" Trixie asked. Pronto stepped forth, pulling out a pocket watch. "Not to fear. Pronto the Magnificent shall drain the sea of fire…now!" He said. Nothing happened. Pronto chuckled and looked back at the watch. "I mean…now!" He said. This time, the lava started to drain out of the cave, revealing a land bridge to the other side. "Pronto! How did you-?!" Eli asked. "Magnificence." Pronto boasted. Everyone just looked at him with unconvinced faces. "Okay, okay. The lave tide goes in and out every hour one the hour like clockwork." He said. "So, if we are to do this ridiculous, crazy thing and get us some sweet, sweet treasure, we best embark immediately. The drowning in fire clock is already ticking. 59 minutes." He warned. The gang then zoomed past him and he followed.

The gang followed the path on the bridge very carefully. Eli then looked around like he saw something. "What is it, baby?" Trixie asked. "I thought I saw-" Eli started to say, still looking around. "Nothing." "Not nothing. What's on your mind, bro?" Harley asked. "Well, I just can't stop wondering who those 2 thieves were. And how they could've known about this chest." Eli said. "Whoever they were, they couldn't possibly be dumb enough to come here. We already own that level of dumbness." Kord said. "I'm gonna take that as a compliment." Eli said. "Yeah, me too." Harley agreed.

Little did they know, the thieves _did_ follow them to the cavern. The girl fired one of her Arachnets and swung on its web across the river. The boy followed. They both were very careful not to get spotted. "You know, I'm getting a little impatient with all this patience. I could easily swing over there and swipe the Infurnus without anyone being the wiser." The boy whispered. "No. We wait until they get close to the Forgesmelter Chambers. Then we make our move." The girl said.

"Come on, guys!" Eli called as they continued, nearly slipping off the bridge. The slip broke off a few shards. As the shards fell into the lava, something big was swimming around in the lava. "The key to surviving the Magma Caverns is slow and steady." Pronto said. "But didn't you say we had to hurry?" Eli asked. "He did. He did. I heard him say so." Harley said. "Might wanna keep it down too. Don't wanna wake any Magma Monsters." Kord said. Pronto scoffed. "Only a fool would be afraid of a silly little-" He started to say until a giant Magma Monster leaped out of the lava and landed on the path behind him. He sat there for a second until he screamed and ran for his life, hopping over the others as they ran too. "Ride!" Trixie called. Eli and Harley looked back, seeing the monster gain on Kord and destroy the path. The thieves swung along under the path. "Almost there! Come on!" Eli called. Kord started to fall behind as the monster lept after him. The others looked back as the monster started to close in on the cave troll. "Kord!" Trixie called in worry. "He'll never make it!" Lash said. The monster gave one last big leap, preparing to swallow Kord up. But Eli and Harley fired Chiller and Frostbite, freezing the monster in their Deepfreeze. Kord opened his eyes, seeing the monster's frozen mouth. "Nice shot." He said, his voice echoing in the mouth.

"How are we gonna get out of here now?" Trixie asked as Kord caught up, noting on the destroyed land bridge. "I guess we'll, uh, cross that bridge when we come to it." Eli said, making a joke. Harley chuckled. The others were unamused. "We must hurry before the lava tide comes back in! Remember: slow and steady." Pronto reminded. The frozen Magma Monster started to tip over and fell back into the lava.

"Seriously. It's almost like he expected you 2 to go on this crazy mission." Trixie said "Did he? Cause knowing Dad, you never know what to expect." Harley said. Suddenly, a hiss of steam shot from a mouth of a pillar, followed by a blast of lava. Trixie dodged before she got hit. "Fire geyser!" Pronto called. "You think?" Kord asked sarcastically. "Fire geysers give a warning hiss before the blast." Pronto explained. "So, they shouldn't be a big problem if we go-" "Slow and steady! Yeah, yeah we got it." Kord said annoyed. As they continued, another geyser hissed and blasted lava. Kord hopped Wyatt out of the way, and gain as another geyser was about to blast. Kord sighed in relief, until he saw what was up ahead. "Uh-oh." He said as dozens of geysers were about to blast. "Go, go, go!" Eli shouted as he and the gang charged as the geysers started blasting. The gang dodged every lava blast in the front and back, until they reached their destination. "We've made it! Behold, the fabled Forgesmelter Chamber." Pronto said. "Well, let's find one quick and get out of here." Kord said.

Suddenly, an actual Forgesmelter hung down on a web in front of Kord. It was suddenly yanked up. The gang looked up to see the thieves. "Or you could just give us that chest." The girl said. Eli and Harley looked up at them. "Since we've got the only key." The girl gave the slug a bit of a squeeze. "You think that's the only slug in this cavern?" Eli asked with confidence. "The only one _you're_ gonna find." The girl said. "Yeah. I scared the rest off with a Frostcrawler." The boy said. Pronto looked at his pocket watch. "It could be hours before they return!" He said in a panic. "But the lava tide will be back a whole lot sooner." The girl said, hanging upside down. "So, you gonna give us our share of that treasure or are we all gonna boil?" "They've got nerve. I'll give em that." Trixie said. "Must be quite the treasure if they're risking their lives like we are." Mario said.

"Look, we don't know who you 2 are or why you 2 think you have dibs on anything in that chest." Eli said. "Yeah. Until we get answers from any of you, anything in that chest is Shane property." Harley said. The girl dropped down. "My name is Dana Por. And that's my brother, Deagan. And if that doesn't ring a bell, maybe this will." The girl, now known as Dana, held up a picture of 2 men. Will Shane and another. "You 2 recognize that man with your dad?" Dana asked. Eli and Harley took a good look at the picture. "Yeah. That's Tom- Por!" Eli and Harley slowly realized who these 2 thieves were. "He's your father, isn't he?" Eli asked. "Ding, ding, ding! First prize for Eli and Harley Shane, ladies and gentlemen." Deagan said. "Dad talked about him all the time. They were like best friends. Until he betrayed our dad." Eli said, glaring at Dana. "Betrayed Will Shane?! Oh, that's rich! Your dad obviously never told you the whole story." Dana said. "Ooh, there's a shocker." Kord said. Eli and Harley looked at him. "Eh, sorry dudes." "No, you're right." Harley said. "Yeah. Our dad's been known to leave out a detail or 2." Eli said. "Well, _our_ dad didn't" Dana said. "Then please, explain." Harley said.

"Our dad was Will Shane's recon man, and he was the best there was at getting information. And all of that valuable info went to Will Shane. This helped him stay one step ahead of the bad guys. They were a great team." Dana explained. "But our dad knew that something wasn't right about Will Shane. He would disappear for days at a time and never have an explanation for where he went." Dana continued. "Yeah. Will Shane was keeping a lot of secrets from dear old Dad. So, he decided to start watching your father. He was hiding treasure. Treasure he 'promised' to share with our dad." Deagan added. "But that wasn't the worse of it. Our dad found out that Will Shane was working with the enemy!" Dana revealed. "Our dad would never work with Blakk!" Eli said angrily. "Not Blakk, stupid!" Deagan said. "It was even worse. He was working with the Shadow Clan." Dana revealed. 'Liar!' Harley thought.

"When our father confronted him about this, Will denied everything! Except the treasure part. So, our father became angry and challenged your dad to a duel!" Dana said. "And of course, we all know what happens when you challenge Will Shane to a duel. Which is why your gonna give us his cut!" The gang couldn't believe what they were hearing. Eli looked over at the chest. "Dana, I can't believe our would do that. But I know that neither me or Harley can't always explain or understand his actions." Eli said. "He's right. There's nothing about our father's secrets that we know about." Harley said. Pronto popped up between the bickering teens. "Pronto finds this all very moving, but he would also like to remind you that the lava tide will return soon!" He said, holding up his pocket watch and turning to Dana. "So-" "Harley and I don't care about gold. If that's all you and Deagan are after, we'll give you a share. If you give us the slug so we can get out of here." Eli negotiated. "Yes, yes! Get out of here!" Pronto agreed. The Forgesmelter even seemed happy. But Dana pulled up her blaster. "No! We open it here. Right now! And there's little time to argue. So, let's get to it." Dana said. "Fine." Eli said. He took the chest and placed it on the ground.

Dana was about to toss the slug to Eli, but she noticed that it wasn't in her hand. "Hey, where's the slug?!" Eli asked. "Looking for this?" Deagan asked, holding up the slug. "Deagan, what are you doing?" Dana asked. "Sorry sis, but you don't get what you want 'til I get what I want." Deagan said. "That wasn't the plan! I told you to have patience!" Dana said. Deagan just slung a Rammstone, punching her in the stomach. That shocked everyone. "Sorry, but my patience has just run out." He said, before turning to the Shane brothers. "Now then, you want the Forgesmelter? Then I propose a trade." He said. "What's the trade?" Eli asked, knowing they were running out of time. "I'll give you the Forgesmelter, if you give me your Infurnus." Deagan offered. Everyone went wide-eyed at Deagan's offer. "No way. Not gonna happen." Eli rejected. "That wasn't a question, Shane. It was a demand. Give me the Infurnus or I'll crush the Forgesmelter." Deagan demanded, squeezing the slug in his hand. Burpy growled. Dana glared as she recovered. "No way. Burpy belongs to me and my brother." Harley said. Deagan just chuckled. "The Shanes are unworthy to wield a truly ultimate slug like the Infurnus. A slug that rare belongs to the Pors. To me!" He said. "Why do you even think that?" Harley asked. "Your father did promise my father a share of that treasure. That also includes the greatest treasure the Shanes have. The Infurnus slug. The only slug of its entire species in Slugterra. So, last chance. Give me the Infurnus. Now!" Deagan said. Eli looked at Burpy. He shook his head and chittered. Eli knew they were running out of time.

Suddenly, there was a hissing sound behind Deagan. He turned to see a fire geyser. The geyser blasted hot lava into his face. "AAAAARRRRRRGGGHHHH!" He screamed, dropping the Forgesmelter and grabbing his face, kneeling down in pain. Dana saw her chance. She grabbed the Forgesmelter and tossed it to Eli. Eli caught it and held up a barrel for it. The slug hopped in and Eli loaded it into his blaster and slung it at the chest. The slug transformed and blasted the chest with Blastrap, melting the Smolten coating it. The gang and Dana looked on with impression. The Forgesmelter landed by the chest and looked proudly at it as it unlocked. Dana picked it up and opened it. But there wasn't any gold. There was just a bunch of household objects. "It's just a bunch of junk!" Dana said, taking a fork out of the chest. "What is all this? You trying to scam us?" She asked as she went through everything in the chest. "Worthless! Trash! Junk!" "Told you there was no fortune. Thought I was kinda hoping there would be too." Eli said.

Dana then took out a couple of strange looking tiaras. "Maybe I can melt these things down for something." She said as she started to put one on. Suddenly, she started to see visions of the Dark Periphery and the Shadow Clan chief. She then fell to the ground and started to twitch and shout in pain as she saw more visions of the Shadow Clan on the move as if they sensed her wearing the tiara. "Get it off of her!" Eli shouted with worry. Trixie knelt over Dana and took off the tiara. "Dana! Are you okay? What just happened?" Trixie asked. Dana started to breathe hard. Like she was in some kind of shock. "The Shadow Clan! They're coming!" She said. Afterwards she lost consciousness.

* * *

Just then, the Shadow Clan appeared in the chamber. "Shadow Clan!" Trixie said. "They're everywhere." Mario said. Eli looked around as more appeared. "How'd they get here so fast?" Kord asked in confusion. "Hello! They can walk through shadows, remember?" Harley reminded. "Who cares right now? Let's just make them leave." Eli said, firing Rammer while Kord fired Bludgeon. But the Shadow Clan just swatted them back. Pronto ducked and looked at his watch. "The lava tide is coming!" He called. Trixie looked over Dana. "Kord!" She called. Kord ran right over. "Get them out of here!" Eli called as he loaded the chest. Kord picked up Dana as Trixie fired Rocks at one of the Shadow Clan. But it faded in the shadows to dodge and came right back. Vance and Mario grabbed Deagan, who was still holding his burned face and moaning loudly in pain. Eli grabbed the tiaras and the Forgesmelter and raced back to the others. "Come on, Eli!" Trixie called as she revved up Boomer's engine. "I'm coming!" Eli shouted. He stopped for a second, taking Burpy's barrel and loading it. "Go big, Burpy!" He said, firing his top slug. Burpy flew into the little volcano in the chamber, causing an eruption. "Go!" Eli called as he hopped onto Lucky. The gang rode out of the chamber.

As the gang rode, Burpy flew over to Eli and transformed back. The little slug cheered until a familiar hissing sound came. Eli looked to see that they were coming to the fire geysers. He then turned back to see the Shadow Clan chasing them. The gang rode through as the geysers started to burst. Eli stopped and fired Rocky, who hit the ceiling with Scrapnel, causing chunks of it to fall and surround the Shadow Clan, who disappeared before they were crushed. "Nice. That was a Scrapnel move!" Eli said as Rocky hopped back to his hand. "Way to level up, Rocky." Suddenly, Burpy noticed a geyser about to burst. He chittered to Eli and they rode out as 3 geysers burst. "No slow and steady this time!" Eli said. The Shadow Clan remerged from the shadows and growled at Eli's escape.

Back with the gang, Dana started to come to. She gasped at where they were. They were hopping on afloat boulders across the lava. "Well hello! Welcome back." Kord said as they continued to hop across. Eli rode up to the lava and joined in on the hopping. He then heard a screech. He looked back to see the Shadow Clan were still chasing them. They started to phase through the shadows to cross the lava. "These guys are unstoppable!" He said. As Kord hopped from one rock to another, Dana took notice to a strange orb in the chest. It had the same textures as the tiaras and was glowing. Dana then started to get an idea.

Soon enough, the gang reached the other side and continued to ride. That is, until Eli saw something up ahead. "So, remember what I said about crossing that bridge when we come to it?" He asked. Pronto glanced ahead to see what Eli meant. The entire land bridge was destroyed! "WE'RE GONNA DIE!" Pronto screamed. "No, we're not!" Kord said, firing Iceberg, who used Deepfreeze to create an ice slide. The gang slid on the ice slide to the other side. Iceberg transformed back and started to slide on an ice shard until Kord picked him up. "Look!" Lash called. Everyone looked ahead. There was another gap between them and their exit. "I got this one!" Dana called, firing 2 of her Arachnets and creating a web for them to bounce across. The gang bounced to the other side. As they bounced, the cage holding the lava bats came loose and plummeted towards the lava. "No!" Lash yelled, firing his Lariat, Phlegm, at the cage. Phlegm shot his Wrappler at Lash and pulled the cage back. The lava bats chittered with gratitude as Lash caught them. "You're welcome." Lash said.

Pronto stopped in his tracks. "Pronto, what're you doing?! The tide's rising!" Harley called. "You expect Pronto to bounce across that?!" Pronto asked, gesturing to the web. "Unless you prefer option B." Eli said. Pronto looked behind him to see a Shadow Clan climbing up. He screamed and started to bounce on the web, only to burn his butt on the lava, sending him into the air screaming as the web burned up. He landed near the gang. The Shadow Clan stopped at the edge and scattered to the left and right. Pronto started to hyperventilate. "And that, my friends, is why we _never_ go back to the Magma Caverns again!" He said.

As the gang started to ride to the exit, Eli and Harley stopped to see the Shadow Clan were still chasing them. Eli and Harley, finally having enough, turned around and drew their blasters. "Eli, Harley, stay with us!" Trixie called. "Just get Dana and Deagan out of here! We'll catch up!" Eli called back. The gang rode to the exit. Eli and Harley made their stand as the Shadow Clan charged towards them. Eli slung Rammer and Harley fired Claws. The Shadow Clan vanished and reappeared, dodging the incoming slugs. Eli and Harley raced for somewhere to regroup. Eli noticed a cave up ahead. "Harley, this way!" He called. The 2 brothers rode into the cave. Harley looked back. The Shadow Clan weren't following them. "I think we lost them!" He said. But suddenly, Eli saw something and skidded to a stop. Harley noticed and did the same. They reached a dead end. They hopped off their mechas and aimed their blasters at the cave entrance.

Just then, they heard a cluttering noise. They looked to see Burpy bringing out the tiaras. Burpy looked to his human friends with a smile. "You want us to put those on? Didn't you see what one of those things did to Dana?!" Eli asked in surprise. Burpy nodded, like he didn't even care. Eli and Harley heard screeching in the cave. "What choice do we have, bro?" Harley asked. "None." Eli said. They each picked up their own tiara. "Please don't fry our brains." Eli pleaded. Burpy chittered a cheer as the brothers put them on. They started to feel the same pain Dana received. But then they noticed the Shadow Clan chief and two others had just come. "They belong to us." The chief surprisingly said in a deep whisper of a voice. "Are you talking? To us?" Eli asked in confusion. "Who are you 2 that you can withstand the power of the Shadow Talkers?" The chief asked. "Shadow Talkers?" Eli asked, still confused. "What are Shadow Talkers?" Harley asked. "The circuits on your brows. They allow communication between the wearers and the Shadow Clan." The chief explained. Eli and Harley then started to receive more pain, like they were getting a migraine. "But not all can survive its mind-bending force. So again, we inquire- Who are you?" They all asked. "My name is Eli Shane. This my brother, Harley Shane. Our father was Will Shane." Eli explained, shocking the chief. "Sons of Shane!" The Shadow Clan murmured and muttered in question and surprise. The chief turned back to Eli and Harley. "Your father could not handle the Shadow Talker's full strength. And it appears you 2 aren't ready to wear them just yet. But we will allow you to keep them for the day when you are ready. Now remove them before they take your minds." The chief said as he and the other 2 turned to walk away. "Wait! Who are you people? What do you want?" Eli asked. "The same thing all Shanes want. Including your father. And so, we will meet again." The chief said. "Wait! What did our father want?" Eli asked, but too late. The Shadow Clan disappeared. Eli and Harley used what's left of their strength to remove the Shadow Talkers.

"Eli! Harley!" Trixie's voice came. Eli and Harley looked up to see her, Pronto, Mario, Vance, Kord and Lash. "Dudes!" Kord said. Eli and Harley cringed, still feeling the effects of the Shadow Talkers in their heads. "How did you guys escape the Shadow clan?" Lash asked. Eli and Harley picked up the Shadow Talkers and hid them behind their backs as they stood up. "We're still trying to figure out what happened ourselves." Eli lied. "Yeah. They just left us." Harley added. The gang just looked at each other, not believing what the brothers just said. "You know, it might be a lot easier if we figure it out together." Trixie suggested. Eli and Harley looked at each other, then at Burpy, who chittered. Harley looked at Eli and nodded. Eli felt unsure, but decided 'what the heck.' "Well, to start with, these things allowed us to speak with them." Eli explained, holding up his Shadow Talker. "No way!" Kord said in disbelief. "It did what?!" Trixie asked in shock. "We put them on just like Dana and-" Eli stopped, noticing Dana and Deagan weren't with them. "Wait. Where are Dana and Deagan?" Eli asked. "No clue. We turned back to check on them and they were just gone." Kord said. "For now. I have a feeling we'll see them again. My dad kept all these things hidden for a reason. That was his treasure. And I don't think Dana and Deagan Por are done hunting for what they think is theirs." Eli said. "And what Deagan's hunting for right now is Burpy." Harley reminded, picking up Burpy and putting him back on Eli's shoulder. "And at least we still have our Forgesmelter." Eli said, holding up the Forgesmelter. "So, what're you gonna name him, Eli?" Trixie asked. Eli stared at the slug for a minute. "How about Torch?" He asked. The slug chittered with agreement.

* * *

Meanwhile, Dana and Deagan were walking away from the entry to the Magma Caverns. "I was so close! I nearly had the Infurnus! Well, I'm not beaten yet! One day, that slug will be mine!" Deagan cussed, still covering his face. "Oh, shut up! At least I got something out of that chest." Dana said. She held up the orb she had her eye on. She tapped a button and they both disappeared into the shadows like the Shadow Clan.

**Finally finished this chapter! I'm sorry for any delay, but I'm just been so busy lately, finding ways on dealing with this stupid coronavirus! But enough about that. The Shane Gang meet Dana Por and her OC brother, Deagan, and learn a horrible truth about Will Shane and the Shadow Clan. What other surprises will be in store for the Shane Gang? Leave a review if you like.**

**Slug Arsenal:**

**Eli Shane: Burpy (Infurnus), Joules (Tazerling), Noodle (Flopper), Banger (Armashelt), Bolo (Polero), Rammer (Rammstone), Rocky (Hop Rock), Chiller (Frostcrawler), Burner (Lavalynx), Suds (Bubbaleone), Goober (Jellyish), Sparky (Grenuke), Doc (Boon Doc), Larry (Lariat), Gust (Tormato), Buzzsaw (Thresher), Digger (Crystalid), Spinner (Arachnet), Mucky (Dirt Urchin), Tangles (Vinedrill), Spooker (Frightgeist), Charger (Fandango), Stunts (Speedstinger), Glimmer (Phosphoro), Mo (Enigmo), Dazer (Hypnogriff), Urchin (Sand Angler), Dozer (Slyren), Jinxer (Hexlet), Torch (Forgesmelter)**

**Harley Shane: Matchstick (Flaringo), Squirm (Flopper), Frostbite (Frostcrawler), Webs (Arachnet), Gels (Jellyish), Zipper (Hoverbug), Ivy (Vinedrill), Masher (Rammstone), Frights (Frightgeist), Shredder (Thresher), Smelly (Flatulorhinkus), Claws (Armashelt), Splatz (Lariat), Twister (Tormato), Lucky (Hexlet)**

**Trixie Sting: Bluster (Tormato), Blizzard (Frostcrawler), Spider (Arachnet), Twirl (Polero), Balloon (Bubbaleone), Haunter (Frightgeist), Pounder (Rammstone), Slicer (Thresher), Rocks (Hop Rock), Jelly (Jellyish)**

**Kord Zane: Bludgeon (Rammstone), Sploder (Hop Rock), Jolt (Tazerling), Trip (Polero), Flycatcher (Arachnet), Floatie (Bubbaleone), Iceberg (Frostcralwer), Scorch (Flaringo), Jetstream (AquaBeek)**

**Pronto Geronimo: Stinky (Flatulorhinkus), Slimey (Jellyish), Soapy (Bubbaleone), Bruiser (Rammstone), Flame (Flaringo), Loogie (Lariat), Windy (Tormato)**

**Vance Volt: Blast (Hop Rock), Bloom (Vinedrill), Crust (Lavalynx), Legs (Arachnet), Swimmy (AquaBeek), Hardcase (Armashelt), Squish (Jellyish)**

**Mario Bravado: Ricochet (Speedstinger), Slide (Frostcralwer), Crawler (Arachnet), Echo (AquaBeek), Mess (Jellyish)**

**Lash: Zing (Tazerling), Speedy (Speedstinger), Hopper (Hop Rock), Bubba (Bubbaleone), Stinx (Flatulorhinkus), String (Polero), Goat (Rammstone), Sleepy (Slyren), Webber (Arachent), Ice (Frostcrawler), Spark (Flaringo), Winger (Tormato), Witch (Hexlet), Phlegm (Lariat)**


	19. A Distant Shore

_Chapter 19: A Distant Shore_

"_The old stories tell of a distant shore, unreachable by any normal means. A world of strange magic and secret knowledge and riches beyond belief. A cavern ablaze with fire, walls stretching into the infinite. The Burning World, lit by the lantern at the Heart of Creation."_

A man stood prophesizing an ancient legend of a cavern above Slugterra. "Despite what you have been told, these tales are not legends. The world above is real! And after years of searching, I, Gar Revelle, have found the way!" This Gar Revelle explained. The crowd started to murmur. Gar turned to a man standing behind him, who nodded. "If fame and fortune interest any of you, I shall lead you to it! We will assemble at the Monarch Inn. Tomorrow. 9:00 sharp! And then, we make HISTORY!" Gar finished. Gar stepped down as the crowd dispersed. Eli, Harley and Burpy were amongst the crowd. They knew what Gar was talking about. "He's talking about the surface!" Eli said in shock. "He's found the way to reach it!" Harley added. "This is can't be good!" Eli said. "I know!" Harley agreed. Burpy shook his head.

* * *

**(Intro)**

* * *

The next morning, Eli, Harley and Burpy crept downstairs, past the pen where Doc, Banger, Joules and Digger were sleeping. Eli shushed them. "Morning guys." Trixie said. Eli and Harley stopped in surprise. "Trix! We were just- we didn't expect you to be up." Eli said. "When did you get up anyway?" Harley asked. "Never went to bed." Trixie said as she ate an apple. "Why not?" Eli asked. "Your reign of terror is almost over, Trixie." Kord growled. "Kord and Trixie were playing that stupid video game non-stop all night." Vance said with a tired voice from the table. "Kord's been trying to get a win in all morning." Mario added, sitting down next to Vance. "And…finishing blow." Trixie said, pushing a button on her controller. Kord growled from losing. Again. "I HATE THIS GAME!" He shouted, throwing his controller at the TV. "Another round?" He then asked with puppy eyes. "You're on!" Trixie accepted, also noticing the Shane brothers sneaking off. "And where are you 2 heading on this fine morning?" She asked as she played. "Us? Oh, we just have an errand to run." Eli lied. "Yeah, a small errand. Nothing you guys should be concerned with." Harley added. "An errand, huh?" Trixie asked, noticing the folded flier in Eli's pocket. "Wouldn't have anything to do with _this_?" She asked, yanking it out of Eli's pocket. "Come on, Trixie. Give that back." Eli said, trying to get the flier back. "New world found. Gar Revelle promises fame and fortune with Burning World expedition." Trixie read as she played her game with Kord. "Finishing blow." The game beeped as Trixie beat Kord again. "WHAT?! Oh, come on!" Kord groaned. "She's good." Harley whispered. Mario and Vance nodded.

"This isn't where you guys are going, is it?" Trixie asked. "Maybe. Who cares?" Eli asked. "You should for one. The Burning World is just a myth. A dumb kid's story." Trixie said. "She has a point." Lash said, coming downstairs. "Think about it. If there really was a world above, why haven't we've seen any people from there?" He asked. "I'll admit, it does sound a little fishy." Eli said. "Yeah. It even smells fishy. Or that could just be me." Harley said, smelling his outfit. "So, don't waste your time. Revelle's been roping clueless slingers into these dead-end expeditions for years." Kord said, taking a spoon-full of his breakfast. Suddenly, there was a gasp upstairs. "Gar Revelle is launching a new expedition?!" Pronto's voice said as the toilet flushed. "Speaking of clueless slingers." Harley muttered as Pronto rushed out of the bathroom. "Has anyone seen this?!" He asked, holding out his own flier. He jumped down, bouncing off his hammock to the ground. "A whole world above Slugterra." He said as he recovered quickly. "Imagine: No slugs. No mecha beasts. No molenoids!" He gasped at the last thing. "Oh, I'm imagining it." Trixie said, trying to picture a world without Pronto's annoyance. "And the gold! Oh, there will be gold of course. We must go and hear this Revelle out. For exploration!" Pronto said. Eli and Harley struggled to think of a way out of this. "I don't know, Pronto. Me and Harley were gonna go alone." Eli said. "Yeah. If this guy is taking advantage of people, we should check him out." Harley said. "You know. For justice." As Eli and Harley headed for the door, someone started tugging on Harley's leg. "Oh please! Please, please, please, please!" Pronto pleaded. "Ugh! Can't take a hint, can you? So pathetic." Harley asked then muttered. "Well, if we're going on official Shane Gang business, East Ridge does have the best Chocolate Root Beer Floats this side of anywhere." Kord said. Eli was about to speak until Pronto interrupted. "Then it is decided. We will all gold. Uh, I mean go." He said. "Great. Glad to have the help." Eli said. "So much for keeping this on the downlow." He muttered. "I don't know, bro. I feel guilty keeping this a secret. Do you think we should tell them?" Harley asked. Eli looked to Burpy, who nodded. "I don't know. They might not believe us." Eli said. "And besides, that's only if there's no other choice." Harley sighed. "Yeah, you're right." He said.

* * *

The Shane Gang arrived at the Monarch Inn and walked in. Their appearance caught the eyes of a lot of unfriendly faces. "This is definitely not worth the root beer." Trixie said as they took a seat. "Yeah. You see the kinda people Gar's stories attract, Eli?" Kord asked. Nearby, a man barked at them. "Charming." Trixie said with sarcasm. Lash recognized the 2 at the table. "Wait. I know those 2." He said. "You do?" Eli asked. "Those guys over there are Frost and Flame, man." Lash said. Eli took a look at them as they glared at the gang. "They're the guys me and Harley ran into at Hijinx Cavern." Lash explained.

Pronto and Harley walked up to the counter. "8 extra-large floaters please. And, uh, whatever our friends want." Pronto ordered. Harley smacked him in the side of the head. "Just the floaters please." Harley said. As the bartender walked off to get their drinks, Pronto turned and walked into someone's leg. "Watch yourself, molenoid." The man warned. Pronto chuckled nervously. "Sorry about that sir." Harley apologized, quickly pulling Pronto away.

Kord recognized the man as he sat back down. "Eli, that's André Geyser." He said. "Who?" Eli asked. "World-class adventurer. Pretty famous too." Kord explained. "Yeah. The guy's known to have explored half of the deadliest caverns in Slugterra." Mario said. "I wonder what a real explorer like that is doing here." Kord wondered. "Probably hired as the lead face for this flim-flam." Harley guessed as he sat down beside his brother.

Just then, Gar got everyone's attention by tapping his glass with a spoon. "Thank you all for coming." He picked up a book. "As many of you know, the Burning World has been my obsession since I was a boy, and I recognize many of my previous expeditions were seen as disappointments to those involved. This however will be different." He said, holding up the book. Eli and Harley took a good look at the book. "He hasn't taken his hands off that book since he came out." Eli whispered. "We need to get a look at it." Burpy nodded in agreement. "How? There's dozens of people here and we don't want to cause a riot." Harley whispered. "I'm working on it." Eli whispered. "The world above offers more than just fame and fortune." Gar continued. "Take their 'moon' for example. A planetary body of vast proportions, orbiting millions of miles above their heads." People started to murmur, scoff and snicker.

"Oh, come on. People can't be taking this seriously." Trixie said out loud. People started to stare and glare at the gang. "Now you've done it." Harley muttered. André got up and walked towards their table. "You got a problem, Girly?" He asked. "Nope! We're fine. Sorry." Eli said, trying to avoid a fight. "No problems here. Isn't that right, Trix?" "My only problem is that you're all buying this! He's taking advantage of you." Trixie said, getting in André's face. "Oh boy." Harley muttered, sinking into his seat. "Easy guys. There's no need for trouble here." Eli said, trying to subdue the fire brewing. "Only an idiot would be part of a bogus expedition. Are you calling me an idiot?!" André asked, feeling insulted. "No!" Eli said. "Sounds to me like you're calling yourself an idiot." Trixie insulted. Eli hung his head. "Trixie, stop helping!" He said, trying to shut her up. "Anybody have any tape for her mouth?" Harley asked in a whisper.

At that moment, Pronto was walking over with the floats he ordered. Frost and Flame noticed him coming. Flame stuck out his leg, tripping Pronto and spilling the floats. As Frost and Flame laughed, Pronto saw that he spilled the floats all over André. André pulled up his blaster and fired a Rammstone. Pronto ducked and the slug hit Frost and Flame's table. Eli, Harley and Burpy groaned, knowing that they were in trouble.

Frost and Flame fired their blasters, which led on to a full-on bar fight. The gang soon joined in. The bartender was unphased by the battle. "You just had to say something!" Eli scolded his own fiancé. "I thought we were here on official business. I just wanted to help these people!" Trixie said. "Yeah? Well, your big mouth sure isn't helping us!" Harley said, firing Shredder. Eli then got pounced by a guy taken out, sending Burpy flying into a wall. "Burpy!" Eli called. Burpy recovered, but was dizzy from hitting the wall with his head. "No! No! Stop it! You're ruining everything!" Gar shouted, trying to stop the fight.

Frost shoved one fighter aside and fired a Frostcrawler towards Trixie. Trixie blocked the Frostcrawler's attack with a table and fired her Vinedrill, Blossom, trapping Frost with Vinelash. Suddenly, a Flatulorhinkus was shot towards Trixie, but Kord blocked it with a table. Kord then slung his Lariat, Spitz, while his opponent slung a Rammstone. Spitz spat his Wrappler at the Rammstone's arm, but got whipped back at Kord, but Kord blocked him with the table. Vance, Mario and Lash were back-to-back, surrounded by slingers. "Guys, Triple Twister Special." Lash called. All 3 fired their Tormato slugs, creating 3 Slyphoons and taking the slingers for a little spin. Pronto crawled through the brawl, trying to escape. But as he crawled, he tripped someone. He turned to see and saw who he tripped. André! "You!" He growled. Pronto screamed and ran. Eli and Harley shoved their way through the skirmish and made it to Burpy, who chittered with pride. Eli picked up Burpy and placed him in his barrel. Meanwhile, André had Pronto cornered. "Nowhere to run now, molenoid!" André said.

"Everybody stop!" Eli shouted, firing Burpy into the air and getting everyone's attention with Flamespire. Gar peeked out from his hiding place. "An Infurnus slug?! Only 2 people have such a specimen." He said. Burpy died down and landed back in Eli's hand. Gar raced over to the brothers. "Don't you know who these are?" He asked. "Uh, hi. We're-" Eli tried to say. "Eli and Harley Shane. Of course, you are." Gar interrupted, shaking Eli's hand, then Harley's. "Oh, this is excellent. Just excellent! With the Shanes onboard, this expedition cannot fail!" He said with confidence. Eli, Harley and Burpy just looked at each other. "Um, news flash, Eli and Harley are not joining your expedition. None of us are!" Trixie made clear. "Listen guys, about that-" Eli started. "You can't be serious. These were the guys shooting at us!" Kord reminded. "It's not that simple." Harley said. "Actually, it is. Either you're with reason and common sense, or you're with this guy." Trixie said. Eli and Harley looked back and forth from Gar to their team. They then looked at Burpy and each other. They knew they were gonna regret their decision. "Then we're with Gar. Harley and I are joining the expedition." Eli decided. Harley nodded in agreement. The gang were surprised and shocked.

* * *

Kord walked up to the brothers. "I don't think I heard you, bro." He said. "He said we're staying, Kord." Harley said. "You guys head back to base. We'll be home soon." Eli said. Just then, Pronto got in Eli's face. "Oh. Trying to get rid of us so you can have a larger share of the riches, huh? Well, Pronto won't be falling for that trick. I'm in!" He said. "Sorry Pronto. You're leaving too. I'm afraid we have to insist." Eli said. Pronto gave a sad look. "I know you guys think we're crazy, but we have our reasons for this. You just need to trust us." Eli said. "We do trust you guys. We just wish you'd trust us." Kord said, walking out with Pronto. Vance just shook his head as he, Mario and Lash followed. Trixie just sighed with disappointment before she followed. Eli and Harley watched as they left. Burpy chittered sadly. "Burpy's right. I think we were a bit harsh." Harley said. "It had to be done guys. They can't find out about the surface, and we have to find out how Gar knows what he knows." Eli said. "They'll understand. Right?" Burpy just chittered. Eli and Harley were now starting to feel sorry.

The gang rode away on their mechas. "You made the right choice, my boys. The very right choice." Gar assured. "The Shane brand is just what this expedition needs to bring it some legitimacy." Some of the other slingers started to whisper among themselves. Eli and Harley noticed them whispering. "Believe it or not, the promise of fame and fortune can sometimes attract a less than savory element." Gar whispered. "Really? We hadn't noticed." Eli said. Just then, André stopped them in their tracks. "I need to speak to Gar. In private." He said. "Excuse me a moment, won't you boys?" Gar asked.

Gar and André walked over to the bar. "Shanes?! I was supposed to be the face of the expedition, remember?!" André asked with a growl. "Don't worry. You'll still get your payday, André. In the meantime, a little class isn't going to kill us!" Gar assured before walking back to the Shane brothers. "Eli, Harley, let's have a chat." He said, bringing the brothers to his office.

* * *

Back at the hideout, the gang were depressed that Eli and Harley chose to join Gar over them. "I just don't get it. Why would Eli and Harley join Gar's expedition?" Kord asked. "Obviously for the vast riches that await them." Pronto guessed. "Nah. We all know that Eli and Harley never really cared about money." Vance said. "He's right. There's something else going on here." Mario said. Lash noticed Trixie with a very sad and more depressed look while she was bouncing Bluster in her hand. "You alright, Trixie?" He asked. "Yeah, I'm fine. I just wish they'd confide in us. Eli and Harley have kept secrets before, but they've never let them stop us from being a team." Trixie said, looking at her ring across her neck. 'And from Eli being the man I want to spend my life with.' She thought.

* * *

In Gar's office, Gar poured a very nasty looking beverage. "Moss extract. My own concoction. From my time among the Null Tribes of Xanadu Basin." He explained, handing Eli and Harley a couple of glasses. Eli sniffed his cup, getting disgusted from the smell. Burpy shuddered with disgust. Even Harley felt like throwing up as Gar drank down his cup. "I'm no fool, boys. I know what others think of me. Right now, if my name appeared in the history books, it would be as a failure." Gar said. "This is my last chance. It can't fail! And with you 2 onboard, I'm certain it won't." "And what makes you think we can help?" Eli asked. "I believe it was fate that brought you and Harley to me, Eli." Gar said, walking over to one of his posters. "The truth is for all my work, I'm still a piece or 2 away from knowing how to reach the above world. With the Shanes onboard, I can secure the funding I need to get that final piece." Burpy chittered an insult. "Easy Burpy. We just need to keep him talking." Eli whispered. "Did you say something, Eli?" Gar asked. "He asked how did you learn about the above world?" Harley asked. "I've been obsessed for years. And I'm not alone. The legend of the Burning World is believed by many. And even in those who don't. Most of us wonder what else might be out there. Clues are all over if you know where to look." Gar explained. "For instance?" Eli asked. "Stories passed down from one generation to the next. All too many include a mention of the Burning World." Gar explained. Eli and Harley stared in surprise. "And then there is this. My greatest clue." Gar handed Eli the book. "You won't be able to read it, I'm sure. It's written in code."

Eli and Harley looked through the pages of the book. 'We can read this! It's our cipher! This is the Shane code! Maps, log entries. This tells how to use The Drop!' Eli thought as they flipped through the pages, until they found a familiar initial. 'JS.' "Uncle Jimmo!" Eli and Harley said together in realization. "Jimmo? The Shane before your father?" Gar asked, taking the book back. "But that means- Yes, of course! It's a Shane journal!" Eli and Harley now started to get worried. "That's the missing piece!" Gar activated his holo-screen computer. "The word Shane is a cipher! A keystone to the whole book! Boys, this is amazing! It changes everything! I've cracked the code! I can find the way up!" "Gar, no!" Eli said, shutting down the computer. "What's in that book is secret for a reason." "Yeah, so that no one in Slugterra can know about the above world." Harley said. "Then it's true!" Gar said. "What's true is that you need to give us that diary." Eli demanded.

Gar just slyly smiled. "Your coming to me was fate, Shanes. I'm sure of that now." He said, walking to a drawer. "I will not be a failure!" He tossed a vial at the brothers. They both dodged as it broke, releasing a cloud of gas. They took aim at the madman. "Help! I need help in here!" He called. André, Frost and Flame rushed in. "The Shanes! Stop them!" Eli fired Joules and Harley fired Matchstick. Joules fired her Tazerbolt and Matchstick fired his Blastburst. The 3 dodged the attacks as Frost fired one of his Frostcrawlers. The brothers dodged. André stepped forth and grabbed Eli. "Gotcha!" He said. Frost and Flame grabbed Harley. "How you boys doing?" Harley asked rhetorically. "Gar, listen to me! Don't do this!" Eli pleaded. "I owe you and Harley a debt, Eli. Every instruction, the precise method to reach the above world, is all right here in this book, along with the glory I deserve." Gar said. Burpy, who sneaked onto Eli's shoulder, hopped onto André's arm and lit himself, burning André enough for him to let go of Eli and crash into Frost. Harley saw the opportunity and headbutted Flame in the nose. Eli then loaded Glimmer into his blaster. "Cover your eyes." He muttered to Harley. They both did so as Eli fired Glimmer into the air, blinding Gar, André, Frost and Flame with Flashbang. The brothers grabbed the book and ran for the exit.

"After them! All my research is in that book!" Gar shouted. André, Frost and Flame fired their loaded slugs as they gave chase. Eli and Harley mounted on Lucky and Delta and rode off. "Tell the men to grab whatever equipment they need! After we get that book back, we leave for the Burning World!" Gar ordered.

* * *

Eli and Harley rode on back to the hideout. They walked in as Trixie and Kord were _still_ playing their game. "Finishing blow." Trixie said, beating Kord once again. "Eli, Harley, what's going on?" She asked. "Nothing. Go back to your game." Eli said as he and Harley packed slug barrels. "Wait. You guys are still playing that?" Harley asked in disbelief. "I refuse to let her beat me! I gotta win at least one game." Kord said, until he noticed what the brothers were doing. "That's a heck of an arsenal for nothing, bros." Eli and Harley were carrying a few extra belts of slug barrels. "I told you, me and Harley will handle it. We don't want you involved. It's Shane business." Eli said. "Yeah. And we're the Shane Gang." Trixie reminded. "We don't want you guys getting hurt, alright? You just stay here." Eli said. "Yeah. There's still time for me and Eli to ride out and lead them away." Harley said. "I'm not certain what you 2 are talking about exactly, but perhaps it's too late to leave us out of it." Pronto said, looking out the window. Gar and his exploration group had just arrived at the hideout!

André was furious. "Gar! You drag us out here to chase A COUPLE OF BOYS?! You promised us treasure and fame!" He shouted. "I am not a man to be trifled with, André!" Gar said, firing a Rammstone, knocking André to the ground. "Not today." He then turned to the crowd. "Listen to me. All of you! You want fame and fortune? Well, the Shane boys are the key! First man who brings them to me gets a triple share!" He said. The crowd cheered.

"I think there's even more of them then before!" Pronto said with worry. "What do we do?" Lash asked. "Burpy, man the auto-blasters!" Eli said. Burpy nodded and hopped to a secret door in the tree in the room. The door opened to reveal 2 sets of tubes. The slugs Burpy directed hopped into the tubes as the auto-blasters on the hideout roof booted up. "Wormy, Rath, defensive positions!" Eli called to the big pets. Wormy and Rath huddled over to their big pet doors in the back. "Lava bats, into the air!" The bats flew into their ceiling tubes. "We need to get you out of here." Eli said to his team. "Eli-" Trixie tried to say. "Our dad once told us about an escape tunnel into town. If we hurry, we can get through before they reach us." Eli continued. "Eli! We're not leaving you! _I'm_ not leaving you!" Trixie said. "But you don't even know what you're fighting for!" Eli objected. "It doesn't matter! We're a team! We don't need to know." Trixie said. The others nodded in agreement. Eli now started to feel butterflies in his stomach. Harley placed his hand on his brother's shoulder. "It's time, Eli" He muttered. Burpy hopped onto Eli's shoulder and nodded in agreement. "Yeah, you do." Eli said, giving in.

Gar's slingers charged towards the hideout. The auto-blasters fired slug after slug. From Rammer, to Rocky, to Chiller. Rammer and Rocky knocked a few slingers off their feet, while Chiller froze 2 of them with Deepfreeze. Wormy and Rath charged in, roaring in the process, scaring half the slingers. The lava bats swooped down, smacking the slingers with their feet. "Any other ideas?" André asked. Gar just glared at what was happening.

"This isn't gonna be easy to hear. All of you are gonna have questions. Unfortunately, now's not the time to answer them. So, we'll just be quick." Eli said, standing up. "Remember all that stuff Gar was saying about a world above Slugterra?" "Yeah. You mean that made-up yarn he was spinning?" Kord chuckled. "Yeah. Well, it's not made up. The world above is real! And it's our number 1 job as Shanes to keep it a secret." Eli revealed. "No way!" "You're joking, bro!" "I don't believe it!" "What?!" Everyone reacted. "I know what you're thinking, but it's not a joke. We're asking you to take a lot on faith here. But you needed to know the truth." Eli said. "I don't buy it." Trixie said. "It's a lot to take in, I know." Eli said. "Eli, when I was a little girl, my mom used to tell me stories about the Burning World, every night before she tucked me in. You have to grow up. You can't keep believing in fairytales!" Trixie said. "In this case, the fairytale is real." Eli said. Trixie took a good look in her fiancé's eyes. "You're not lying, are you?" She asked.

Outside, the slingers prepared slug launchers as the auto-blasters kept firing and the pets kept roaring and attacking.

"This isn't just about Slugterra! If Gar reaches the surface, both worlds will pay the price!" Eli continued. "Say you're right, how does Gar know all this?" Kord asked. "From this." Harley said, putting the book on the table. "It was our great uncle's." "Your uncle? You mean Jimmo Shane?" Mario asked. "Yeah, the same." Harley answered. The gang looked through the book. "Based on the tiny look we got, every question we ever had, every puzzle about our father and what came before us, the answer could be in here, including how to get topside." Eli explained. "If Gar ever got his hands back on it-" "It will be all-out destruction between our 2 worlds." Harley finished. The gang all stood up. "What do you need us to do?" Trixie asked.

By then, the slingers launched a Grenuke slug from the launcher, destroying the auto-blaster. The loaded slugs toppled back out of the tubes. The incoming explosions even frightened the pets back inside. Eli and Harley were now worried. They then got an idea from looking at the book. "Take your time, Eli and Harley! We can do this all day!" Gar called. Eli and Harley then came out of the hideout. "Is this what you want, Gar?" Eli asked, holding up the book. "No! Cease fire! Cease fire! You might hit the book!" Gar ordered. "Why take the diary when you can have us?" Harley bargained. "Hmm. An intriguing proposition. I think I'll take both!" Gar said, aiming his blaster at the brothers. "Fine! We'll come along. One condition: Leave our friends out of it! They aren't involved." Eli bargained. "There. Now you're both being sensible. You don't need friends. At the end of the day, you Shanes are all alone." Gar gloated. "No. We told them we didn't want them involved." Eli said. "But then again-" Suddenly, slugs were being fired from above. The gang were firing their slugs from the mushrooms atop of the hideout. "-they never seem to listen to us." Everyone started to scatter.

Pronto fired Slimey, catching 2 slingers in his Loogi. "Ha-ha! One in a million shots!" Pronto said, until he slipped off his mushroom and fell to the ground. André walked up and tried to grab Pronto, but Pronto scampered away. André tried to give chase, but Lash jumped down, nailing the man with Phlegm to the face. Lash gave Pronto a thumbs up. Frost and Flame were firing at Kord. Frost fired a Frostcrawler, freezing the mushroom with Deepfreeze, and Flame fired a Rammstone, destroying the mushroom. Kord fell to the ground and got held at blaster point by Gar. Trixie jumped down and leaped between Frost and Flame, making them fire on each other. "Suckers." Trixie gloated. Vance slung Legs at a few other slingers, trapping them in her webs.

"Come on out, Gar! You wanted us, now you got us!" Eli called. "It's over, Shanes." Gar said, walking over with Kord as a hostage. "Get out of here, bros. I can handle myself." Kord advised. "With a Lavalynx at point blank range? I don't think so." Harley said. "Let him go Gar. You can have the book." Eli said. "No!" Kord shouted. "Give it to me!" Gar ordered. Eli and Harley looked sadly at the book. They looked to each other and nodded. "Forgive us, Uncle Jimmo." Harley whispered, tossing the book into the air. Gar shoved past Kord to get it. Eli loaded Burpy into his blaster and looked away sadly as he fired Burpy, destroying the book. "NO!" Gar cried and fell on his knees. "Why?! It's not fair! I was so close!" He cried as the gang and the slingers walked up to him. "Nothing personal, young Shanes. This was strictly business." André said, putting a hand on Eli's shoulder. "Hopefully next time, we meet as friends instead of enemies." Eli hoped. André nodded.

"Wait! It's not over! This is just a setback!" Gar protested. "They were right. This was nothing but a sham!" André said. "It wasn't! I'll find another way." Gar assured. "Go away, Gar. It's over." André said, walking away. "Wait! Wait! Where are you going? You just need to give me more time!" Gar said, following them.

The gang watched as they left. "I have a feeling Revelle won't be a problem anymore." Kord said. "Yeah. Best we report him to the authorities afterwards." Mario added. "Listen guys, about what happened-" Eli started to say. "It's cool, Eli honey." Trixie said. "No apologies are necessary, kid." Vance added. "Yeah. Shane secrets, right?" Kord asked. Eli and Harley looked to each other and nodded. "We wanna show you guys something." Eli said, walking away with Harley.

* * *

Eli and Harley led the gang to where they dropped in. "When we first met you, we said we came from a secret cavern far away from here." Eli explained. "Well, that wasn't entirely true." "It was far away, but it wasn't a cavern." Harley said. "Then where did you guys grow up?" Trixie asked. "Up there." Eli pointed up to The Drop. "In a hole?" Pronto asked confused. "It's not just _a_ hole, you silly little dolt." Harley said. "He's right. That hole is called The Drop. It's how me and Harley got here. It leads up to the place Gar wanted to reach." Eli explained. "The Burning World?" Kord guessed. "You mean, the place_ does_ exist?" Lash asked. "We call it the Surface, but yeah." Harley said. "Why- I don't understand." Trixie said. "It's gonna be hard to wrap your head around this." Eli said. "Yeah. Your entire universe pretty much exploded." Harley added. "Yeah. So did my brain." Kord said, grabbing his head. "I knew the Shanes kept secrets, but this one- Wow!" Trixie said. "There is a reason why we kept this secret." Harley said. "All the magic that exists here, the slugs, they would be lost forever if the surface world ever found out about Slugterra." Eli explained as Pronto continued to stare at The Drop. "And if that happens, all the evil below us would have nothing to stop it. Slugterra is the first and last line of defense. That's why our 2 worlds can never mix." "You shouldn't have told us this, Eli. It's too big a secret." Trixie said. "She's right. You 2 should've kept it in the family." Mario added. "As far as we're concerned, you guys are our family." Harley said. "Harley's right. And from now on, no more secrets. We'll tell you everything we know." Eli said. "Though, as far as being a Shane is concerned, that's not a whole lot." "And you 2 just torched the book that could've changed all that." Kord pointed out. "Oh, come on! There was nothing in that book we can't figure out for ourselves. Including how to get back up there." Harley said. "Yeah, that's the other thing. For now, at least, it was a one-way trip for us." Eli said. "So, I guess we're stuck with you 2 then." Kord guessed. "Pretty much." Eli said. "Yeah, I'm okay with that." Kord said as they started to walk back.

"Gotta say, you guys are taking this news pretty well." Eli pointed out. "Are you kidding me? I got about a million questions." Kord said excitedly. "Now, this sky thing, does it really go on forever?" He asked. "And are there molenoids in this place? And if so, are they respected as superior lifeforms or just slightly superior?" Pronto asked. "And what's up with this moon thing? What keeps it from falling down on top of us?" Trixie asked. "And what about this Halloween tradition you mentioned back at Deadweed? Why does it happen only once a year? And why do people dress up in costumes? And what does getting candy have to do with it?" Vance asked. "And without mecha beasts, what kind of modes of transportation do you have up there? And what kind of power do they run on?" Mario asked. "What about this lantern? This Heart of Creation. How exactly does it light up everything?" Lash asked. "Why don't we start from the beginning? We live on a planet called Earth." Eli started to explain. "Earth?" "Planet?" "What's a planet?" "Equally superior?"

**Well, that's finished. The secret of the surface was nearly exposed and Eli and Harley told the truth of where they were truly from. What sort of new secrets await our beloved Shane Gang? Leave a review if you want.**

**Slug Arsenal:**

**Eli Shane: Burpy (Infurnus), Joules (Tazerling), Noodle (Flopper), Banger (Armashelt), Bolo (Polero), Rammer (Rammstone), Rocky (Hop Rock), Chiller (Frostcrawler), Burner (Lavalynx), Suds (Bubbaleone), Goober (Jellyish), Sparky (Grenuke), Doc (Boon Doc), Larry (Lariat), Gust (Tormato), Buzzsaw (Thresher), Digger (Crystalid), Spinner (Arachnet), Mucky (Dirt Urchin), Tangles (Vinedrill), Spooker (Frightgeist), Charger (Fandango), Stunts (Speedstinger), Glimmer (Phosphoro), Mo (Enigmo), Dazer (Hypnogrif), Urchin (Sand Angler), Dozer (Slyren), Jinxer (Hexlet), Torch (Forgesmelter)**

**Harley Shane: Matchstick (Flaringo), Squirm (Flopper), Frostbite (Frostcrawler), Webs (Arachnet), Gels (Jellyish), Zipper (Hoverbug), Ivy (Vinedrill), Masher (Rammstone), Frights (Frightgeist), Shredder (Thresher), Smelly (Flatulorhinkus), Claws (Armashelt), Splatz (Lariat), Twister (Tormato), Lucky (Hexlet)**

**Trixie Sting: Bluster (Tormato), Blizzard (Frostcrawler), Spider (Arachnet), Twirl (Polero), Balloon (Bubbaleone), Haunter (Frightgeist), Pounder (Rammstone), Slicer (Thresher), Rocks (Hop Rock), Jelly (Jellyish), Blossom (Vinedrill)**

**Kord Zane: Bludgeon (Rammstone), Sploder (Hop Rock), Jolt (Tazerling), Trip (Polero), Flycatcher (Arachnet), Floatie (Bubbaleone), Iceberg (Frostcralwer), Scorch (Flaringo), Jetstream (AquaBeek), Spitz (Lariat)**

**Pronto Geronimo: Stinky (Flatulorhinkus), Slimey (Jellyish), Soapy (Bubbaleone), Bruiser (Rammstone), Flame (Flaringo), Loogie (Lariat)**

**Vance Volt: Blast (Hop Rock), Bloom (Vinedrill), Crust (Lavalynx), Legs (Arachnet), Swimmy (AquaBeek), Hardcase (Armashelt), Squish (Jellyish), Blow (Tormato)**

**Mario Bravado: Ricochet (Speedstinger), Slide (Frostcrawler), Crawler (Arachnet), Echo (AquaBeek), Mess (Jellyish), Breeze (Tormato)**

**Lash: Zing (Tazerling), Speedy (Speedstinger), Hopper (Hop Rock), Bubba (Bubbaleone), Stinx (Flatulorhinkus), String (Polero), Goat (Rammstone), Sleepy (Slyren), Webber (Arachnet), Ice (Frostcrawler), Spark (Flaringo), Winger (Tormato), Witch (Hexlet), Phlegm (Lariat)**


	20. The Journey Home

**In addition to this chapter, Burpy and the separated slugs are gonna talk. Sort of. Just so you readers don't miss a thing.**

'…' **Slug pov**

_Chapter 20: The Journey Home_

In a canyon, Locke, Load, and several Blakk soldiers were being pursued by the Shane Gang. Locke motioned for the soldiers to split up down a separate canyon. "You guys take out Blakk's guards." Eli said. "Consider them taken." Trixie said, taking off after the guards. "Harley and me will wrap up Locke & Load before they get that- thing to Dr. Blakk." Eli said, pointing to a canister Locke was carrying. "We have no idea what that- thing does, Eli. For all we know, it could be lunch." Kord said. "Somehow, I doubt that." Eli said. "Only one way to find out." Harley said. The gang split up. Eli and Harley continued after Locke and Load, while the others chased the other guards.

Locke saw the Shane brothers coming, drew his blaster and fired a Thrasher ghoul, slicing a rock pillar. "Eli, watch out!" Harley called. Eli saw the sliced boulder falling towards him and fired Banger, smashing it to pieces. "Great work, Banger!" Eli called. "Let's go." Banger hopped after. Locke and Load fired a couple of Grimmstones. Burpy chittered and pointed to Spinner. "Okay, Spinner." Eli said, loading her in his blaster and slinging her. She trapped the 2 ghouls in her web. "That's sticking it to 'em." Eli said. "Good one." Harley said with a chuckle. Spinner landed on a rock nearby as the brothers rode by and hopped after. Suddenly, Harley caught a glint of light on the hill. "Heads up! Sniper!" He called, firing Twister as the sniper fired a Hop Jack. Twister blew the ghoul back with Galestorm, hitting the sniper. Locke and Load then fired 4 ghouls at once. A Hop Jack, a Frostfang, a Grimmstone and a Greneater. Eli and Harley gasped. "Burpy, you're up!" Eli called. Burpy hopped into his barrel. "Joules, you're next." Joules nodded. Eli fired Burpy first, then he loaded and fired Joules. "I'll help you out." Harley said. "Ivy, you're first. Sizzle, you follow." Harley fired Ivy first, then his Grenuke from Quiet Lawn, Sizzle. As the 4 slugs collided with the 4 ghouls, a big energy surge built up. Locke and Load looked back to see. Only to find Burpy, Joules, Ivy and Sizzle standing victorious. The 4 slugs chest-bumped each other before they hopped after the Shane brothers.

As the Shane brothers continued to pursue Locke and Load, the 3 guards came up behind them, only to be blasted off of their mechas. "Bye-bye guards." Trixie said as she and the others rode up. Locke and Load rode up to a land bridge. "Yet you 2 still haven't wrapped up Locke and Load I see." Pronto said insultingly. "We were just waiting for you guys so we could bring them down together." Eli said. "We were?" Harley asked confused. Eli glared. "Oh, yeah, of course we were." Harley chuckled nervously.

As the gang started crossing the land bridge, Load fired a Hop Jack at the bridge. The blast caused the bridge to fall apart. "Dude, you had it backwards! Looks like we're the ones heading down!" Kord yelled as another Hop Jack hit the bridge. The gang screamed and raced for their lives to the other side.

* * *

**(Intro)**

* * *

The bridge continued to crumble as the gang continued to ride. Locke and Load chuckled at their presumed success. Pronto screamed at a very bad sight. The front of the bridge was collapsing too! Eli picked a barrel from his belt. "Keep it together, Chiller!" He said. Chiller nodded. Eli loaded and slung Chiller, freezing the collapsing bridge with deep freeze. Chiller popped back into his protoform and landed on the bridge as the gang rode by. Eli gave his slug a wink and continued on. The gang hopped from bridge piece to bridge piece, making it safely to the other side. "Everyone okay?" Kord asked. "Yeah, thanks to Chiller." Eli said.

Chiller started to hop when suddenly, there was a rumbling sound. Then, the bridge gave out, causing Chiller to fall. "Chiller!" Eli called. Chiller screamed as he fell. But suddenly, he was lassoed back to the other side by Spinner and her web. Burpy and the other slugs chittered a laugh. Eli looked on. "Eli, we gotta go!" Trixie said. "She's right. If Locke and Load get that lunchbox, or whatever that thing is to Blakk-" Harley started. "I know." Eli said. "Burpy! We'll meet you guys back at the hideout!" He called over. Burpy nodded and led the slugs over to the right. "Long before us no doubt!" Pronto said as they continued to ride after Locke and Load. "It's as if slugs have their own secret way of getting around Slugterra. A way they refuse to share with Pronto!" He said, glaring at Stinky, who chittered an insult.

Burpy led Joules, Banger, Ivy, Chiller, Twister, Spinner and Sizzle over a hill. **"Over there. There's our way home." **Burpy chittered, pointing at a nearby air hole. The slugs hopped over to it and looked down it. Apparently, the hole leads down to a series of underground air tunnels that connect throughout Slugterra, which can also lead them back to the hideout. **"You guys ready?"**Burpy asked. **"Oh yeah." "Let's do this thing!" "Let's go, let's go!" **The slugs chittered. Then, they jumped down the hole and rode the underground winds, just as other slugs in the tunnels were doing the same.

As the slugs traveled through the tunnels, above them, the gang was still chasing Locke and Load. Locke and Load fired 2 more ghouls at the gang, almost grazing them. Kord fired his new Gazzer slug, Chuckles, at Load, hitting his face with Hilariteaser, causing Load to laugh uncontrollably and nearly hit Locke with another ghoul. "Hey! Careful you lummox!" Locke warned. "Eli, they're pulling away!" Kord called. "What do we do now, kid?" Mario asked. Eli looked down at his last 2 slugs, Glimmer and Suds. "I'm gonna have a hard time stopping them with Glimmer and Suds." He said. "What about you Harley?" Lash asked. "Same for me with just Gels and Quill." Harley said, pointing to his last 2 slugs, Gels and Quill, his Dirt Urchin. "Then allow me." Trixie said, riding up. "Blow 'em away, Bluster!" She fired Bluster, creating Slyphoon. The raging winds snagged the box from Locke's back, but also destroyed it, creating a blinding light, making the gang stop in their tracks. "Just keep riding. _I'll_ deal with Dr. Blakk." Locke said as he and Load kept on riding.

"Why didn't you do that before?!" Pronto asked in annoyance and disbelief as the pieces fell to the ground. "I didn't mean to blow it up." Trixie said. "It's alright, babe. Just as long as Locke and Load won't be bringing it to Blakk, I think we can call it a win." Eli assured. Trixie smiled. "Though I'd like to be celebrating with the rest of my slugs." Eli said. "Me too, bro. Me too." Harley said. "Don't worry, you guys. Slugs always find their way back home." Trixie assured. "Yeah. You're right." Eli said as the gang started back for home. "I'm sure when we get there, we'll find Burpy and the other slugs already at the clubhouse, kicking back and relaxing."

* * *

Meanwhile, Burpy and the other slugs continued to fly through the tunnels. Joules, Banger and Ivy had fallen asleep. Suddenly, Chiller got a runny nose. Sizzle saw this. **"Uh, Burpy?"** He chittered. Burpy looked back to see. Chiller was about to sneeze! **"Look out!"** Burpy yelled. Chiller sneezed a blizzard, blowing the slugs away and freezing the entry tunnel they were heading for. Burpy hit his head off the ice and got sucked down into another tunnel. The others followed, screaming as they fell.

* * *

Meanwhile, the gang passed through Quisingly Cavern. Only the place was looking beat up and trashed. Eli took a good look around. "We've passed through this cavern dozens of times on our way back home before. But somehow it seems different." He said. "Hmm. Indeed. Last time I was here, the town was fat and happy." Pronto pointed out. "So, it was, stranger. Until Munch showed up at least." A guy said from the side. "Munch?" Eli said. "Who's Munch?" Harley asked. "Come into town, big as a boulder and dumb as a sack of hammers, and ate us out of house and home." The guy explained. "Why not kick the bum out on his, uh, you know, bum?" Kord asked. "Because no one beat Munch!" A voice came. The gang turned to see a big, ogre-sized cyclops walk towards them. 'Hello ugly!' Harley thought. "You and your slugs challenging Munch to a duel?!" Munch asked, pointing his finger in Eli's face. Eli swatted the finger away. "If you leave this cavern and don't come back when I beat you, then yeah, I'll duel you." Eli said, forgetting that he didn't have Burpy and the others.

"Uh, Eli?" Trixie said as Kord shook his head and hands. "Not now, Trixie, I'm trash talking." Eli said. Trixie then threw a slug barrel at his head. "OW! Trixie, what?!" He asked in annoyance. "Your slugs! You're a few short, remember?" Trixie reminded. Eli looked at his arsenal in embarrassment. "No problem. I'll lend you Bludgeon." Kord said, taking Bludgeon's barrel from his belt. "And I'll loan you Ricochet." Mario said, holding up Ricochet's barrel. "And Pronto will give you the honor of fighting with my Stinky and his nasty stank." Pronto said, pulling up Stinky. "NO! No ringers!" Munch yelled, scaring Pronto. "You said you and your slugs gonna duel Munch! And that's what you're gonna do!" Munch said. "That is what you agreed to, Eli." Trixie said as Kord, Mario and Pronto put their slugs back. Eli now felt really embarrassed.

Munch chuckled. "After Munch beats Eli Shane, Munch will be king of the caverns!" He said, until he got an idea. "But wait. Why beat 1 Shane, when Munch can beat 2?" He asked. That made Harley cringe up. "Uh, what now?" He asked. "That right! Munch challenge both Shane brothers!" Munch declared. "And we left our ice ogre at home." Harley muttered. Eli sighed with regret. "Smart move there, Eli. Now me and Harley gotta duel a guy with a bandoleer of powered-up bruisers, while Burpy and the others are probably back home, taking a bath." He said.

* * *

Well, Eli got the bath part right. Burpy fell down the tunnel into a river in the Fumes. He gasped for air as Banger, Spinner and Twister followed down first. Then, Ivy and Sizzle. And finally, Joules and Chiller. **"Look!"** Chiller called, eying a log. The Fumes was full of them. The slugs climbed aboard the one as Burpy hopped up ahead. **"Man, it's too dark in here."** He said. He then lit his head on fire to light up the tunnel. **"That's better."** But little did he know, that his light attracted the attention of something in the dark, jumping into the water. Chiller took notice and squinted to see what it was. **"Oh no."** He said, seeing what it was. A wild Slug Hound was swimming towards them! **"Slug Hound!"** He called. Burpy hopped over. **"Joules, get up here!"** Spinner said. **"Why?"** Joules asked. She turned to look. Then she gasped at the sight and swam for the log. The hound swam closer. **"Come on, Joules!"** Chiller said. **"You can make it!"** Ivy said. **"You're almost there!"** Twister said. But the hound closed in on Joules and prepared to eat her. But Spinner spat a string of web at Joules and pulled her onto the log. **"RUN!"** Joules cried. The slugs hopped to the other side of the log. But for some reason, their side of the log started to raise itself. The slugs looked behind them to see that the hound had climbed onto the other side of the log. The slugs started to slide towards the hound's hungry mouth. **"We're done for!"** Ivy cried. But then, Chiller sneezed again, freezing the hound's head and sending him back into the water. The hound broke free of the ice and attempted to swim towards the log, but got caught in another current into another tunnel. The slugs chittered in laughter, until Burpy heard something. He turned to see. **"Uh, guys?"** He said, pointing behind him. Their log was heading towards a wood chipper!

The slugs cringed in fear as their log made its way up the conveyer belt. **"Hop for your lives!" **Burpy shouted. The slugs hopped off the log, but they were blocked by other logs. They had no choice. They hopped into the chipper, avoiding the sawblades. Burpy made it through, but noticed the others were gone. **"Joules! Sizzle? Chiller? Where are you guys?" **He called. **"Here we are, Burp."** Joules said, sticking her head out from a pile of sawdust behind Burpy. The other slugs hopped out from the pile and rejoined Burpy. **"Well, at least the worst is over."** Twister said. But then, there was a big orange glow up ahead. The slugs had come up to an incinerator! **"You had to say it."** Ivy grumbled. **"Even I can't absorb all that fire!" **Burpy said. **"Well, what do we do now?" **Spinner asked. Joules looked up and spotted a control box. **"I got this." **She said, shooting a Tazerbolt at the box, shorting it out and shutting down the incinerator, as well as the entire wood chipper. Chiller fainted from all of the excitement. **"Chiller!"** Spinner cried. **"You okay, man?"** Banger asked. As Chiller awoke to his friends looking down at him, he noticed something. **"Look!"** He said, pointing up. The slugs looked to see an open vent hatch in the ceiling. Spinner looked at her friends. **"Oh, I'm gonna regret this."** She said, shooting a web up to the vent. **"Grab on."** She said. The other slugs grabbed onto her and she swung them up to the vent.

The slugs found their way up the vent and into the Mech Forge. Suddenly, a big claw knocked them into a box and were sealed up.

* * *

Back at Quisingly Cavern, Munch had just walked out of a cantina, eating a turkey leg. As he ate, he overheard Eli and Harley talking to Kord. "You guys really think you can get to the clubhouse and back with Burpy and the other slugs in time?" Eli asked. "We're already there, bro." Kord said as he, Trixie, Vance and Mario took off. Pronto and Lash joined the brothers. "Wait! What Burpy and other slugs?" Munch asked, stomping up to the quartet. "Munch already told you: No ringers!" "Burpy's my slug! He's just not here. Yet." Eli said. Munch took another big bite out of the leg and tossed it. "Too bad, cause we duel NOW!" He said, taking a stance. "Okay, any ideas?" Lash asked. "Time for the legendary molenoid stall." Pronto said, walking up to Munch. "Let's hope he actually gets it right this time." Harley muttered with doubt. "You certainly have enjoyed those succulent leg parts. I believe a mouth-watering dessert would fill the final quarters of your impressive stomach." Pronto said. "Oh yeah. Munch get it. You try the legendary molenoid stall!" Munch said, surprising everyone. Especially Pronto and Harley. "Well, it won't work! Munch is smarter than he looks." Munch said, slightly drooling from his mouth with a blank expression on his face. "And that is not saying much." Pronto said. "He's got that right." Lash said.

"Thanks Pronto, but I agreed to this duel." Eli said. "Glimmer and Suds may not pack as much firepower as Burpy or Joules, but we can fight him off until the others get back. No problem, right?" Harley looked at Gels and Quill. Both were feeling unsure about dueling Munch. "Don't worry, guys. We'll be okay." He assured. "I hope."

The brothers and Munch took position and prepared to draw their blasters. To make things more dramatic, Pronto banged on a trash bin for dramatic standoff music. "Hey!" The 2 men shouted, popping their heads out from the bin. "Oh! Sorry. Proceed." Pronto said. "DUEL!" Munch yelled, firing a Sand Angler. Eli slung Glimmer, and Harley slung Gels, but the Sand Angler swatted them away before they could even transform. The slug then got at the brothers' feet with Sandcrete. "Okay, maybe it might be a little bit of a problem." Eli said as they sunk into the quicksand. "Oh gee, you think?" Harley asked. Glimmer and Gels fainted nearby from dizziness.

* * *

Meanwhile, Burpy and the others awoke in the darkness of the box they were trapped in. **"What's going on?" **Chiller asked.** "I don't know. I can't see anything." **Ivy chirped.** "Me either." **Spinner said.** "Wait! Let's light things up in here." **Joules chittered, sparking a light, implying Burpy to light up his head.** "Great idea, Joules." **Burpy said. Suddenly, their box started to bounce around. The box got knocked off a trailer and onto the road in town, opening as it landed. Burpy stuck his head out and looked around. **"Uh-oh! Let's go!"** He chirped, leading the other slugs out of the box before it got ran over by a mecha. The slugs hopped though the street. Burpy stopped them to avoid being run over. **"Where to now?"** Sizzle asked. **"There."** Burpy chirped, pointing to an alley on the right. The slugs hopped across the street, avoiding being stepped on by the people and being run over by passing mechas. But just as they reached the curb, Banger got smushed by a passing trailer. **"BANGER!" **Spinner cried. Banger popped his head out from the dirt. **"I'm okay!" **He said. The others sighed in relief as he hopped up to join them. **"What can I say? I'm hard-headed. Literally."** He reminded with a shrug. **"Boy, you really scared us there." **Chiller said.** "You are terrible." **Ivy joked. Suddenly, there was a growling sound behind them. The slugs turned to see the slug hound from the Fumes, growling hungrily.

* * *

Meanwhile, Munch had slung a Hop Rock towards the brothers. They fell back to the ground, dodging the slug as it hit the building behind them. Munch just chuckled evilly. "That's it, boys! I think you're beginning to wear him out!" Pronto called, eating popcorn. "More like _he's_ wearing _them_ down." Lash muttered with worry. The brothers got up just as Much loaded another slug and took aim. They ran as Munch fired his slug, a Polero. The slug wrapped around a light post, toppling it over. The brothers slid out of way, but slid into the mud. Munch happily clapped and chuckled as he walked towards them. "You're in the mud!" He mocked. "Uh yeah. And you're right where we want you." Eli said, swerving around and slinging Glimmer. "You got him, Glimmer! Give him all you got!" Glimmer transformed and hit Munch in the face with Arcalyte. Munch started to see stars and tried to grab them, smiling all the while. Glimmer landed and hopped back to Eli. "All right. That's what you got." Eli said disappointingly. "So, what now?" Harley asked.

Just then, Munch shook off the effects, roared and fired another Hop Rock. The brothers jumped out of the way and into another mud puddle. "Not that I'm complaining, but this probably feels like punishment for being too sure of ourselves." Harley said. Eli and Glimmer nodded in agreement.

* * *

Meanwhile, as a lady was walking out of a restaurant, Burpy and his slug pals ran past her inside. "Hey! Watch where you're going!" She shouted before she got knocked down by the hound. She shook off her dizzy state as the hound chased the slugs all over the restaurant, causing a riot.

Inside, Chiller broke off from the group and the hound chased after him, knocking over a few tables. **"Banger, go high!"** Burpy said, catapulting Banger from a spoon up to the counter. **"Guys? A little help here!" **Chiller cried as the hound closed in on him. **"I got your back, little buddy!"** Banger called, knocking a plate onto the hound's head. The slugs regrouped and headed for the exit. The hound recovered and continued the chase. The slugs got to the exit, knocking a guy out the door to open it. The hound pounced for them, only to land in the garbage. The hound shook itself off and continued on chasing. The slugs hopped along the alley ways. **"Get to the bridge! Quickly!"** Burpy called. But the hound jumped over and landed right in front of them. **"Oh, we're trapped!"** Ivy said as they skidded to a stop. Just then, Burpy heard a train whistle. He turned to see an express train coming. The hound closed in, barking. Burpy then got an idea. He evaded the hound's claws and led the slugs to the edge of the bridge. **"Everyone, jump for the train!" **Burpy said, jumping off the edge. The slugs followed him as the hound tried to get them. **"Grab onto me, guys!" **Spinner called, burping out a we parachute. The slugs grabbed onto her and they slowly descended onto the train. Spinner spat away the parachute, which got in the hound's face as he followed the slugs onto the train. The slugs gasped as the hound ran towards them. **"Let's go!"** Burpy chirped. The slugs hopped along the car, only to stop when they got to the edge. **"Aw man! We're trapped!" **Chiller said with fear. Just then, the hound jumped with all its leg strength towards the slugs. But just then, the hound hit the head of a tunnel, stopping him.

The slugs cheered and chittered in success. **"Now that was fun!" **Banger said.** "Glad you think so." **Chiller said.** "At last we got nothing to worry about." **Sizzle said.** "Quiet! I hear something." **Burpy chirped. Somebody was groaning from inside the train car. Burpy opened the escape hatch and the slugs looked down to see who was making noise. **"Locke and Load!" **They chirped in shock. "What do you suppose Dr. Blakk's gonna do when we tell him we wrecked his do-thingy?" Load asked. "You mean when _I_ tell him that _you_ were responsible?!" Locke corrected. Load just groaned. "I imagine we'll become ghoul chow!" Locke said. The slugs continued to watch Locke and Load. **"What's going on?"** Chiller asked, accidently shoving Burpy down the hatch. **"BURPY!" **The slugs screamed. Burpy landed near the crooks, startling them. Locke picked up Burpy. "Brother, I believe that Dame Fortune has indeed smiled upon us. Because I cannot imagine anything making Dr. Blakk happier then turning Eli Shane's best slug into a ghoul." He said. Burpy gulped.

The slugs looked down, worried about their friend. But Burpy wasn't done for that easy. He lit himself on fire, burning Locke's hand. Locke's pain sent Burpy over to Load's feet. "Grab him!" Locke said. "I got him!" Load said, picking up Burpy, only to get his hands burned too, tossing Burpy back to Locke. Locke picked him up and started playing Hot Potato before tossing him up to the baggage carriers. "There! Get him!" Locke said as Burpy hopped away. Load tried to grab him, but grabbed the things placed up there instead and tossed them aside, hitting Locke in the head. **"We gotta do something!" **Chiller chirped. **"What do we do?"** Ivy asked as Burpy continue to evade Load as he knocked a bowl onto Locke's head. **"Follow me! I have an idea!"** Spinner said, hopping away. Burpy tried to hop for the open window, but Load closed it and trapped Burpy in the bowl. "Gotcha now, Hot Stuff!" Load gloated. Just then, Burpy saw something outside. **"Guys!"** He chirped. The other slugs swung Banger on Spinner's web into the window. **"I'm coming, Burpy!"** Banger yelled as he smashed the glass with his head. Load removed the bowl to see Burpy and Banger pulled back up. "Hey!" He cried as he and Locke race for the emergency brakes.

The slugs hopped off the train and back onto the fresh green grass. **"Whew! That was close."** Chiller said. But Burpy noticed that the train was stopping. **"The train's stopping! Quick! This way!"** He chirped, leading the slugs away from the train. The train pulled away as Locke and Load got off. "Ooh! Caverna Mall!" Load said in awe at where they were. "Goody! I need a new pair of boots." "Just pursue those vermin or I'll give you the boot!" Locke warned as they chased after the slugs. "Sometimes I can't believe we're related!" He groaned.

The slugs hopped away towards a nearby store as Locke and Load entered. Burpy eyed a purse that a lady just bought. **"There's our getaway ride, slugs."** He chittered. **"Worth a shot." ** Chiller agreed **"What do we got to lose?" **Joules asked. The slugs hopped after the lady just as she left. Locke caught sight of them as they hopped into the bag. "There! That purse!" He said. He and Load ran after the lady. "Move it! Move it!" Load said. But then, they crashed into a carrier carrying dozens of boxes. Load recovered and looked around until he eyed the purse. "Give it up slugs!" He said as he snatched it. The lady who owned the purse screamed. "Put a sock in it, Grandma!" Load said as he dumped the purse's contents. "It's just things!" "Wrong purse, Genius!" Locke said. "Wrong purse is right, boys." Millard Milford said as he, Shorty and Goggles walked up. "Well, well, Locke and Load. Been a while since we've seen your ugly mugs." Shorty said. "Resorting to robbing grandmothers now, Load?" Goggles asked. Locke looked around until he saw the purse outside, just as the lady was about to leave on her mecha beast. Locke and Load tried to follow, but Millard stepped in front of them. "Where do you lads think you're going?" He asked. Locke chuckled. "Anywhere we want, mall cop." He said. He and Load fired their ghouls throughout the building, causing a panic as they ran for the door, leaving Millard, Shorty and Goggles trapped in slime in the elevator.

Locke and Load exited the mall, but the lady was already gone. "Aw, we lost her, big brother." Load whined. Locke just chuckled. "Not for long." He said, looking at a powerful mammoth mecha just as the owner was about to start it up. Locke climbed up the trunk. "Say, that's a nice mecha beast." He said as Load joined him. The owner just smiled sheepishly.

* * *

Meanwhile, back at Quisingly, Eli and Harley were struggling. They dodged behind a trash can as Munch fired another slug. Munch then fired a Lavalynx. "Lavalynx! Look out!" Harley called. They dodged as the Lavalynx started melting the can. Munch fired a Thresher as they ran. The brothers bounced and swung their way up to a rooftop, dodging the slug in the process. Now Munch was getting really anger. He fired another Hop Rock as the brothers ran across the roof. The brothers dodged the slug by jumping onto a sign, which they slid down the building on and hit Munch on the head with. Munch collapsed dizzily to the ground and Eli and Harley landed in _another_ mud puddle. "Ugh! Really?! Again?" Harley asked, annoyed and disgusted with the mud. "That's it, boys! If your slugs are useless, hit him with something else! Oh! And looking good!" Pronto called. "Oh, I wish you hadn't said that part about the slugs." Lash muttered with worry. Harley wiped the mud off his and Eli's faces and tossed it at Pronto's. "Ugh! Hey!" "Our slugs aren't useless! We just gotta figure out the right way to use them." Eli said. "Well, we better figure it out soon!" Harley said, pointing at Munch getting up. Munch fired an Armashelt, tunneling a trench towards the brothers. But then Eli grabbed a curved piece of metal and stuck it in front of the slug, redirecting him to tunnel the trench in between Munch's feet. "Slip n Stick?" Eli asked. "Slip 'N' Stick." Harley agreed. "What is Slip 'N' Stick?" Pronto asked. "We're about to find out." Lash said.

"Lather it up, Suds." Eli said, slinging Suds to soak up the trench in mud. Eli then grabbed a metal bar and slid on the now muddy trench towards Munch, tripping him with the bar. "Let's cushion his fall, Quill." Harley joked, slinging Quill and covering the where Munch was about to land with his quills. Munch landed and the quills, causing him to leap high into the air, screaming in pain. Eli slid to a stop as Munch landed on his back hard. Harley walked over and helped him up. "Ha! That's what you get when you mess with Suds and Quill!" Eli said. But Munch, now really mad, got up and charged towards the brothers. "Un-oh!" They both said as Munch hit them with his head.

* * *

Meanwhile, Burpy enjoyed the breeze as he stuck his head out from the bag. The other slugs soon joined him. **"Well, this is fun." **Spinner said.** "Yep. Nothing but smooth sailing from now on." **Sizzle chirped.** "I wouldn't say that!" **Joules said. The slugs gasped at the horrifying. Locke and Load were on their tails on the mammoth mecha. Load fired a Thrasher ghoul towards them. The slugs ducked back inside the back before it was shredded, sending the slugs soaring to the ground. **"Oh, that was a rough landing."** Burpy said. **"I'll say." **Twister said.** "Yeah, that was a doozy." **Banger said. "I'm confident that Dr. Blakk will be equally satisfied if we merely brought him the heads of the Shane branch slugs." Locke said. "Dibs on the burny one!" Load called. **"What do we do?" **Joules asked.** "There's nowhere to run!" **Ivy chirped.** "Stay behind me, guys." **Burpy said. As Locke and Load slowly closed in on the slugs, the express train zoomed by, blocking their path. The slugs cheered, until they heard a familiar growl. The slug hound from before. It hopped off the train and prepared to charge. **"Oh, not again!" **Banger groaned as the hound charged for them. Just then, Burpy noticed a log and stick in front of them. **"Guys, I got an idea."** He chittered. They hopped onto the log. **"Get ready, Joules."** Burpy chirped. **"I'm ready, Burpy." **Joules said, sparking her head as the hound got closer. **"Now!"** Burpy called. The slugs hopped on the stick and slung Joules. Joules transformed and knocked out the hound with Tazerbolt.

When the hound woke up, he saw Banger hanging in front of him by a rope on a stick held by the other slugs riding his back. The hound growled and chased Banger. Locke and Load crossed the tracks as the train finally passed, heading towards the hound. The slugs gasped. "Oh, are we in your way?" Locke asked carelessly. The slugs just growled.

* * *

Meanwhile, Eli and Harley were thrown back to the ground. "Stop squirming so Munch can finish you!" Munch said. Eli just slung Glimmer, blinding Munch with Arcalyte, just as Trixie, Kord, Vance and Mario rode back into town. "You guys did it! We held out 'til the calvary arrived." Eli said, feeling proud of Glimmer and Suds. "And just in time. I don't think we could've lasted another minute." He said, standing up. "I know it. I'm about to drop to sleep!" Harley said, feeling tired. "Where's Burpy?" Eli asked. "Sorry Eli." Kord apologized with regret. "They weren't at the hideout." Vance added. "But if they're not coming, then-" Eli said with worry. Munch stood up and growled. "We're dead." Harley whimpered.

* * *

The slugs rode their hound straight towards Locke and Load. Just when they were close enough, Joules bit the hound's tail, shocking him and causing him to jump, knocking Load off the mecha first. Then the slugs started attacking Locke, causing him to abandon the mecha. "Run brother! Retreat!" He cried as the hound started chasing him and Load. **"At last, we got nothing to worry about." **Burpy said. **"Uh, you might wanna look for yourself, pal." **Joules chirped. Burpy hopped over to the steering wheel and saw what she meant. They were heading for the cliffs near the city! **"HANG ON TIGHT!" **Burpy cried as the mecha jumped and slid down a landslide.

"Maybe we can't win. But you guys ready to go down trying?" Eli asked. Glimmer and Suds nodded. "Been nice slinging with you guys." Harley said. Gels and Quill nodded. Eli and Harley loaded their slugs and prepared to sling their last. But then Munch noticed the mammoth mecha coming down the slide. The slugs screamed as they came to the jump. **"HOLD ON! IT'S A JUMP!" **Burpy screamed. Eli turned to see just as the mecha crashed through a sign. The slugs screamed as Munch tried to run away. The mecha landed and flipped Munch over with its trunk. When it was over, Burpy and the others came into view. **"Hiya everybody!" **Burpy called. "Burpy?! Joules?! I don't believe it! You guys are here?!" Eli asked with joy. "Uh yeah. And they're driving a mecha?!" Kord asked in shock. "Can slugs even DO THAT?!" Pronto asked with astonishment. "Apparently Eli and Harley's can." Trixie said in amazement. Vance was so shocked at the sight, he fainted on the spot.

Munch started to recover. "Those are your slugs?" He asked. "Yep." Eli said. "All 7 of them." Harley added. Burpy and the others smiled proudly. "No way! You 2 lasted this long with 4 Floppers! No way Munch is fighting slugs who can do that! Munch is outta here!" Munch cried, running away in defeat. Glimmer, Suds, Gels and Quill chittered angrily and made faces. "Don't listen to him. You guys aren't Floppers. You did us proud." Eli said. "Yeah. You 4 deserve a lot of credit today." Harley said. The slugs chittered with gratitude. "We're glad you guys are okay. But where were you?" Eli asked. All 7 slugs started chittering and chirping all at once. "Uh." Eli said, not understanding what they said. "I'm sorry, I didn't get that." Harley said. "They were obviously goofing off! That is what slugs always do when you're not watching." Pronto said. **"Fat chance!" "So not true!" "I'll show you goofing off, you fat pile of lard!" "The nerve!" "Of all the stupid fibs!" **The slugs chittered insultingly. Even Eli was unconvinced. "Well, lucky for you lazy slugs, Pronto was here to use his mighty brains and save the day." Pronto continued to boast. Burpy continually banged his head against the mecha's metal hide. **"Somebody shut that stupid mole up!" **He groaned. "But what were you doing? Lazing around, goofing off." Harley for one had finally had enough. He raised his blaster at Pronto. "Wait! What-What're you-" He slung Gels, splattering Pronto's face as the crowd gathered and cheered for the Shane brothers' victory over Munch.

**Wow, that was wild! Burpy and his slug friends get separated while Eli and Harley face off against Munch. Who knows what else is in store for the Shane Gang? Leave a review if you want.**

**Slug Arsenal:**

**Eli Shane: Burpy (Infurnus), Joules (Tazerling), Noodle (Flopper), Banger (Armashelt), Bolo (Polero), Rammer (Rammstone), Rocky (Hop Rock), Chiller (Frostcrawler), Burner (Lavalynx), Suds (Bubbaleone), Goober (Jellyish), Sparky (Grenuke), Doc (Boon Doc), Larry (Lariat), Gust (Tormato), Buzzsaw (Thresher), Digger (Crystalyd), Spinner (Arachnet), Mucky (Dirt Urchin), Tangles (Vinedrill), Spooker (Frightgeist), Charger (Fandango), Stunts (Speedstinger), Glimmer (Phosphoro), Mo (Enigmo), Dazer (Hypnogriff), Urchin (Sand Angler), Dozer (Slyren), Jinxer (Hexlet), Torch (Forgesmeltor)**

**Harley Shane: Matchstick (Flaringo), Squirm (Flopper), Frostbite (Frostcrawler), Webs (Arachnet), Gels (Jellyish), Zipper (Hoverbug), Ivy (Vinedrill), Masher (Rammstone), Frights (Frightgeist), Shredder (Thresher), Smelly (Flatulorhinkus), Claws (Armashelt), Splatz (Lariat), Twister (Tormato), Lucky (Hexlet), Sizzle (Grenuke), Quill (Dirt Urchin)**

**Trixie Sting: Bluster (Tormato), Blizzard (Frostcrawler), Spider (Arachnet), Twirl (Polero), Balloon (Bubbaleone), Haunter (Frightgeist), Pounder (Rammstone), Slicer (Thresher), Rocks (Hop Rock), Jelly (Jellyish), Blossom (Vinedrill)**

**Kord Zane: Bludgeon (Rammstone), Sploder (Hop Rock), Jolt (Tazerling), Trip (Polero), Flycatcher (Arachnet), Floatie (Bubbaleone), Iceberg (Frostcrawler), Scorch (Flaringo), Jetstream (AquaBeek), Spitz (Lariat), Chuckles (Gazzer)**

**Pronto Geronimo: Stinky (Flatulorhinkus), Slimey (Jellyish), Soapy (Bubbaleone), Bruiser (Rammstone), Flame (Flaringo), Loogie (Lariat), Windy (Tormato)**

**Vance Volt: Blast (Hop Rock), Bloom (Vinedrill), Crust (Lavalynx), Legs (Arachnet), Swimmy (AquaBeek), Hardcase (Armashelt), Squish (Jellyish), Blow (Tormato)**

**Mario Bravado: Ricochet (Speedstinger), Slide (Frostcrawler), Crawler (Arachnet), Echo (AquaBeek), Mess (Jellyish), Breeze (Tormato)**

**Lash: Zing (Tazerling), Speedy (Speedstinger), Hopper (Hop Rock), Bubba (Bubbaleone), Stinx (Flatulorhinkus), String (Polero), Goat (Rammstone), Sleepy (Slyren), Webber (Arachnet), Ice (Frostcrawler), Spark (Flaringo), Winger (Tormato), Witch (Hexlet), Phlegm (Lariat)**


	21. Roboslugs

_Chapter 21: Roboslugs_

Futuria Cavern, a cavern stocked on high-tech buildings and machinery. Here, Dorium from the express train the Shane Gang stole, is at the Slugerra Institute of Technology to make a donation.

"The Slugterra Institute of Technology welcomes you, sir. I'm thrilled to show you what your generous donation is funding." The head professor, Bartholomev, said, leading Dorium through the building. "SIT has a long tradition in ground breaking research. And here are 2 of our top scientists." Bart introduced the first scientist, Tobias. "Tobias here has made some fascinating inroads in the field of gravitation." Tobias typed in a code and activated an anti-gravity device, slowly lifting a Thresher slug on the panel. "Doesn't that lift your spirits?" Bart asked, trying to make a joke. Dorium just rolled his eyes as the machine started to short out, dropping the slug back on the panel. "Once I work the bugs out my Zero-G machine, Slugterra will own the air." Tobias said with confidence.

Bart brought Dorium over to meet the second scientist, Katherine. "Katherine's ideas about sonics are worth listening to." Bart said. Dorium adjusted his monocle as he witnessed the demonstration. Katherine dropped a leaf down a holo-scanner, which gave off a whooshing sound on some high-tech speakers. "Sound is invisible, but its effects can be powerful." Katherine said. Bart chuckled.

"What about me, Professor?!" A voice came. There in the doorway stood a boy around Eli and Harley's age, wearing high-tech armor and glasses. "Aren't you gonna show Mr. Moneybags _my_ invention?!" The boy asked like he owned the place. Dorium looked at Bart with shock and confusion. "Ahem. Dr. Kalowski has been researching artificial slug technology." Bart said. "Sir, don't pay any attention to Quintin's unfunded research. Let me show you more about _my_ work." Tobias advised.

"I thought we told you never to come back here! You and your crazy robots!" Bart said, marching towards Quintin. "Oh, you'll never get rid of me!" Quintin said. He looked over to Tobias. "Your anti-gravity machine will never amount to anything, Tobias!" He said, firing a robot slug from a high-tech arm blaster. The robot transformed and destroyed Tobias's machine. Dorium looked on in shock. "Nor will your pathetic sound amplifier, Kate." Quintin said, firing another at Katherine's machine. Katherine ducked behind a table next to Tobias. "Now, let's talk about the future. _My_ future to be specific." Quintin said. "We need help." Tobias whispered. Katherine nodded. "As of this moment, all research will be directed by me." Quintin declared, aiming his blaster at Bart and Dorium. Katherine slipped away and activated her phone. "Eli and Harley Shane! We need you! Now!" She said in a panic. "The only science in this cavern is _my_ science!" Quintin said, pulling up one of his robot slugs. "Behold, my Roboslugs!"

* * *

**(Intro)**

* * *

The Shane Gang have just arrived in Futuria Cavern. "Futuria Cavern. Always wanted to see this place!" Kord said with excitement. "This place is very big on science, you see." Mario said. "Hence why 'future' is in the name." Vance added. "Bah! Science is vastly overrated. Pronto has no need for science. I go with my gut." Pronto said. That is until his stomach growled, shocking everyone. "Oh! And my guy says it's past my lunchtime." Pronto said. "I'm hungry too. We skipped lunch just to respond to the emergency call we got." Harley added. "If these so-called 'scientists' are such 'geniuses', where did they put all the restaurants?" Pronto asked. "Where did they put all the people?" Trixie asked, noticing the city was empty. "Probably evacuated." Lash guessed. "I don't see any slugs either." Trixie added. "The slugs are all hiding." Katherine's voice said. The gang turned to see her walking up to them. "I'm Katherine McGregor." She introduced. "You're the one who called about the rogue scientist." Eli guessed, shaking her hand. "Quintin's always been a little quirky. This time, he's crossed the line." Katherine said. "Anyone ever try to stand up to this guy?" Eli asked. "We're scientists, not slug slingers. That's why we called you." Katherine said. "She's got a point, babe." Trixie said. "Right. Guess so." Eli said sheepishly.

* * *

Back inside the institute, Quintin still had Bart, Tobias and Dorium hostage. "I envision a world where the only slugs that people use are my Roboslugs. To that end, anyone found with a live slug will be punished!" Quintin declared. "I don't have to listen to this madness!" Tobias said, walking out. Quintin targeted him with his special glasses, loaded a Roboslug into his blaster and fired it, trapping Tobias with a Flamspire, shocking Bart and Dorium. "I'm not FINISHED YET!" Quintin yelled. "Yeah. Actually, I think you are." Eli's voice came. Everyone turned to see Eli and Harley standing in the doorway, aiming their blasters at Quintin. Bart and Dorium were actually surprised to see the Shane brothers here. "We were kinda hoping we could reason this out, but you are way beyond reason, aren't you?" Harley asked. "I prefer to say that I'm beyond your understanding, Eli and Harley Shane." Quintin said. Eli and Harley were shocked. "Oh yes. I know who you 2 are." Quintin said. "Then you know how we work." Harley guessed. "We're gonna give you one chance to do the right thing, and apologize to all these people. Otherwise-" "Otherwise we duel?" Quintin guessed. "Yep. Me and Harley against you." Eli said. "Oh, this will be fun. Except I won't be dueling you 2 alone." Quintin said, activating a button on his arm blaster. Then, a man-sized robot with weaponized arms walked in from the doorway. Eli and Harley looked shocked. "Meet Sluggertron 367. A new state of the art security bot prototype I designed. My partner for this duel." Quintin explained. "I think we're in way over our heads this time, bro." Harley whispered.

* * *

Outside, Eli and Harley prepared to standoff against Quintin and his robot. "I'm gonna blast that nasty thing right off your shoulder!" Quintin said. Burpy chittered angrily. "I think you just insulted our slugs. Big mistake." Eli said. He held up a barrel for Burpy to jump in. Quintin scanned Burpy with his glasses as Eli loaded him into his blaster. "Species: Infurnus. Attack modes: Flashfire, Flamespire, Novaclaw. Downloading counter measures to Roboslug brain matrix." He said. He activated and loaded one of his Roboslugs. Both Eli and Quintin fired their slugs. As they transformed, the Roboslug suddenly broke apart and scattered little disks all over the ground. Burpy was confused, until the disks started shooting spouts of water. Eli, Harley and Burpy were shocked. Burpy did his best to avoid the spouts, but they were closing in fast. "Hang on, Burpy." Harley called, loading Frostbite. Sluggertron took notice and scanned Frostbite. It then downloaded the countermeasures, readied its right arm blaster and fired a Roboslug. It transformed and fired several fireballs. They circled Frostbite until he was trapped in a fire cage. The heat was too much for Frostbite and he crashed down to the ground. Burpy was also in trouble. One of the spouts hit his wing, making him lose control and flew into another. Burpy went into a spin dive until 3 more spouts hit him at once, knocking him back into his protoform as he landed on the ground. "Burpy? Are you okay?" Eli asked in worry. "Frostbite, you hurt?" Harley asked. Both Burpy and Frostbite chittered with saddened at their loss.

Eli growled and loaded Rammer. Quintin scanned him and downloaded the countermeasures. He loaded and fired another Roboslug as Eli fired Rammer. As they transformed, the Roboslug launched a green net at Rammer, shocking him. Rammer dropped down dizzy as the Roboslug flew back to Quintin. Eli and Harley were shocked. "You were beaten before you began." Quintin gloated. "I've downloaded databases on every slinger whose ever shot a slug. You 2, your friends, even your father, the great Will Shane." "He'd beat you in a minute. Our technique too." Eli said as he fired Spinner. Spinner launched a string of web from her mouth as she passed Quintin. "Your father was a slug lover, just like you 2." Quintin said as he saw Spinner loop around a street light and launched a web towards him. As he was distracted, Harley saw his chance and fired Claws. As Quintin fired another Roboslug at Spinner, Sluggertron zipped in front and fired a Roboslug at Claws. Quintin's Roboslug deforested Spinner's web and slammed her to the ground. Sluggertron's Roboslug fired a slimy liquid in Claws' face, blinding him as he zoomed into a building wall. "Ha! He successfully used that identical Arachnet move in 17 different duels. Along with the backup aid of an Armashelt. Your attempt however has failed! And my Roboslugs and Sluggertron will continue to triumph over your weak, disgusting slugs and tired old tactics!" Quintin said.

"Then I guess we'll just have to show you some _new_ tactics." Eli said, holding up Joules and Mo. Quintin scanned Joules, recognizing her as a Tazerling. But as he tried to scan Mo, a buzzer blared. "What?!" Quintin looked through his slug database. He couldn't find a match to Mo. "No match found? What're they-?" He asked himself. Eli tossed up Joules' barrel and slung Mo first. Quintin and Sluggertron jumped out of the way. Eli caught Joules and slung her, shorting out Quintin's blaster. Sluggertron was distracted from what happened, he didn't see Harley slinging Shredder, slicing off the robot's head. Quintin gasped at what happened. "Smart slug slinging will beat mad science any day, Quintin." Eli said. "He's right. It's over." Harley agreed. "Over? Oh, you have no idea what I'll bring when I come back." Quintin said, activating a button on his arm. A green light shined around him, but strangely though, nothing happened. "Uh, you're still here." Trixie pointed out as the rest of the gang joined the brothers. Quintin chuckled sheepishly and ran off. "That's right! You slink away, scoundrel! While your betters-" Pronto boasted until his stomach growled again. "While your betters look for lunch." He finished embarrassed. "Yeah, good idea. Let's look in there." Harley suggested, pointing to a nearby cafeteria. The 2 walked over. "We better ger ready for this guy. Sure, don't think he's gone for good." Eli said. "Where do you suppose he went?" Mario asked. "He's probably back at his secret lab." Kord guessed with an effect in his voice. "Get real, Kord. You've been watching too many fiction vids. Not all scientists have secret labs." Trixie said. Kord just nodded.

Meanwhile, Quintin sat in some kind of cockpit, powering up his devices. "The great Eli and Harley Shane and their 'wonderful' slugs. Think they have all the answers. Well, wait 'til they see what mad science can do. I'll show them big like they've never seen!" He gloated.

Harley and Pronto continued to look for food. "There must be some food around here!" Pronto said. "Just keep looking! My appetite isn't exactly enjoying this game of hide-n-seek-food, you know." Harley said. They nearly turned the place inside out, until they finally found food. "Aha!" Pronto said as they exited with 2 cans of beans. "I bet he's got some kind of super doomsday weapon he's gonna spring on us." Kord guessed on Quintin's next move. "Bah! Let him bring his super weapon of doom! Once Pronto fills his mighty stomachs, he will be the match for any foe." Pronto boasted. "Now, a more pressing matter. Did anyone bring a can opener?" He asked. Just then, there was the sound of a can opening. Everyone turned to see Harley munching on his beans. "What?! How did you do that?!" Pronto asked in shock. "I just opened it." Harley said. Pronto was now getting hangry with Harley.

Just then, they heard something coming. Something big was stomping towards the gang. To their surprise, it was a giant mecha mech suit! "And my day just got worse!" Pronto whimpered. "Oh, you have no idea how bad it's gonna get!" Quintin said from the cockpit.

"Round 2, slug lovers!" Quintin declared. "Mechas now!" Eli called. The gang mounted their mechas and sped towards the mech. Quintin targeted each one of them. "Take that thing down fast!" Eli said. Kord fired Bludgeon and Vance slung Crust, but the mech just swatted them away. "Uh, Eli? Plan B?" Kord asked. "Stay alive!" Eli suggested. The mech activated twin blasters on both its arms and fired 4 Roboslugs towards the gang. The gang turned around as the roboslugs hit the ground in front of them. Trixie slung Slicer, spinning towards the mech with Throttlebite, but the mech fired another Roboslug, grabbing Slicer and stopping his attack. Eli slung Chiller, blowing Deepfreeze. "Frostcrawler slug. Fireball defense." Quintin said, firing a Roboslug and melting Chiller's attack with a flamethrower attack. Eli then fired Noodle. "Flopper slug." Noodle just went splat on the windshield. "No defense needed!" Quintin just laughed as he wiped Noodle's mess off the windshield. Kord looked at Eli with amused confusion. "I had to try." Eli assured. "Lash! Take Down from Down Under!" Harley called. He and Lash took aim at the mech's legs and fired their Armashelts. Quintin saw them coming and fired 4 more Roboslugs, forming an energy shield and knocking the poor slugs back to their owners.

Trixie hid in an alleyway. "He's gotta have a weak spot!" She said, putting a scope on her blaster and scanning for anything on the mech that might pose as a weak spot. She targeted the mid-section of its back and slung Rocks at it. She grinned. "Cheap shot, Trixie." Quintin said, making her gasp. "But I don't have any weak spots. While you and your pathetic meat bag slugs are one enormous weak spot!" He fired more Roboslugs at Trixie as she rode Boomer for their lives, dodging the robots left and right and catching up to the gang. "So, what now?" She asked, riding up to Eli. "Hate to say it, but retreat." Eli said regretfully. The gang retreated to the outskirts outside the cavern. "That's it! Run slug lovers! Run from my superior technology!" Quintin yelled triumphantly before turning to Bart and Dorium, hiding behind a pile of rubble. "You see? Not even Eli and Harley Shane can protect you from me!"

* * *

The gang regrouped with Kate at a nearby forest. "Well, that was humiliating." Kord said. "Nothing to be ashamed about. Quintin's got awesome tech. But that doesn't make him better." Eli assured. "My poor little Rocks couldn't even get near the guy." Trixie said. "Neither could Claws and Trench." Lash added. Suddenly, there was a banging noise. Everyone turned to see Pronto banging his bean can against a rock. Apparently, he was frustrated with hunger. "Hey, hey, hey! Why you beating up that innocent rock there, Pronto?" Kord asked. "Perhaps I should beat this stubborn can against something harder. Like your thick troll skull!" Pronto said, continuing to beat his can against the rock. "I'm glad you made it away safely. But you aren't safe here with all that banging." Kate said. "Quiet Pronto!" Everybody whispered, making Pronto stop. "Okay. So, what are we gonna do?" Vance asked. "I've got a place nearby where we can regroup." Kate offered. "Ooh! A secret lab perhaps?" Kord asked intrigued. "Oh please." Trixie scoffed.

_[Scene Switch]_

Trixie was in shock. Kate lead the gang to a secret lab deep in the forest. Tobias met up with them shortly after. Kord leaned towards her, waiting to hear it. "Okay! I was wrong." Trixie said in defeat. "All us scientists have secret labs." Kate chuckled. Trixie playfully punched Kord's bicep. "So, what's the story with Quintin? He really hates slugs." Eli asked. "He doesn't just hate them. He's terrified of them." Kate revealed. "Really? That's good to know." Eli said, starting to think of a plan. "Ever since the accident when we were kids." Kate said. "What accident? What happened?" Harley asked.

_[Flashback]_

_A female scientist was walking with Tobias, Kate and Quintin as kids. "It was during a fieldtrip to the slug biology department." Quintin broke off from the group and examined a keypad lock. "Quintin always considered a locked door as a challenge." As Quintin unlocked the door, he accidently fell into a large pile of slugs. "He was in there for 2 days before they found him." Quintin was so scared, he was crying like crazy. Being surrounded by slugs with no way out. That is until security found him and pulled him out._

_[Flashback End]_

"He was never the same since. And all his science has been about finding a way to live without slugs." Kate finished. "Yeah. Slug phobia. There's gotta be an angle there." Eli said. "But still, one problem. What're we gonna do about Quintin's mech suit?" Harley asked. The brothers then caught sight of Pronto trying to chew his can open. "Exasperating, recalcitrant can! You frustrate me with your tenacious tin perimeter!" Pronto said. Most of the gang started to feel uncomfortable with Pronto like this. "Okay." Trixie said. "That was a little mental." Mario said. "Pronto, you're a genius." Eli said. "He is?" The gang asked in shock. "I am?" Pronto asked, before deciding to play along. "Oh, yes. Of course, I am." "I think I've figured out a way to beat Quintin. But we're gonna need some high-tech help." Eli said. "I believe we have that covered." Kate said, gesturing to the high-tech supplies in the lab. "And more importantly, we need you to buy us some time." Eli said. "How're they gonna do that?" Vance asked. "I've got a few ideas in that regard." Tobias said.

* * *

Back at Futuria, Quintin's mech suit kicked a rock away. He was getting bored. "This is boring. What's the point of being superior if I can't lord it over everyone?" He decided to give Eli and Harley a yell. "Eli and Harley Shane! I'm ready for Round 3! Are you?" "They're busy right now." Tobias called. Quintin turned to face him. "But I've got something for you." Tobias had his anti-gravity tech worn on his wrists. He raised his left hand and pulled a big boulder out of the ground. "Ugh! Again with the anti-grav? When are you gonna learn? That's nothing compared to me!" Quintin boasted. Tobias flung the boulder at Quintin, but he had the mech suit punch it, destroying it. "I don't even have to waste a Roboslug on your pebble." He said. Tobias pulled up another big boulder, plus a piece of a big stalactite and brought his hands together, crushing the mech suit in between. But the suit wasn't even scratched! "As smart as you think you are, you still end up throwing rocks like a savage. Pitiful!" Quintin insulted as he activated his suit's left arm blaster. "Run, little savage. Run! You can't escape from the superior man!"

Back at the lab, Kate and Bludgeon were attaching the same blaster mod to a big robot hand. Kord welded it in. Trixie walked over, carrying a box of supplies, while Eli and Harley were going over the plan with the gang's Floppers. "And that's all you have to remember." Eli said. Noodle was feeling down. "Don't worry, Noodle. You and Squirm and the other Floppers are gonna do great." Eli assured. Burpy chittered in agreement. That perked Noodle up. "I have my doubts that such spineless slugs can be our key to victory." Pronto said, unsure of the plan. "Every slug is useful, Pronto. Even Floppers." Eli said, holding up Noodle. "He's right. You just need to know the right way to use said slug." Harley agreed. "Well, I guess it couldn't hurt to try. Make me proud, Squeaky." Pronto said, patting his own Flopper on her head, making her squeak with pleasure.

Just then, Kate's phone rang. "Tobias is down! I'm going in." She said. "Remember, just stall him. Don't try and be a hero. And don't get yourself hurt." Eli advised. "Excellent advice." Kate said before leaving.

Meanwhile, Tobias was slowly recovering from the blow he got from Quintin. His machines were smoking and shorting out. Quintin leaned his mech suit's head down. "Back to the drawing board!" He gloated. Tobias just groaned. "What's wrong, Tobias? Nothing clever to say?" Quintin asked. "I've got something to say!" Kate's voice came. Quintin turned to see her standing behind him, wearing her high-tech speakers, plus a special goggle-earmuff device. "Oh, this will be fun." Quintin said, hoping for a challenge from her. Tobias took off to avoid the incoming damage. Kate shouted into a mouthpiece and blew Quintin back into the buildings with hyper soundwaves created from her shouting. But Quintin managed to push back and reached down to grab her.

At the lab, Trixie loaded a slug loaded canister into the right arm, and Pronto looked over a pad when Kate's shout reached their ears. "Hey, you guys hear that?" Lash called from below. Kord finished welding the left arm when he started hearing Kate too. "That must be Kate." He guessed. "Never get into a shouting match with her." Trixie said, closing the arm's hatch. Eli heard the shout as well. "Kord, you about done?" He asked. Kord gave a few quick taps on the hull. "Good to go." He said. Eli turned to Vance, Lash and Mario. "You guys know what to do while we handle Quintin's big bot, right?" He asked. "We'll do our best when Tobias and Kate get back, kid." Vance assured. "Then saddle up, guys. Time to take this big-brained bully to school. Shane Gang style!" Eli said.

Meanwhile, Quintin tossed down Kate's wrecked machine and held Kate up in his mech's left hand. "Let me go, Quintin!" Kate demanded. "Your harpies voice was even less pleasant at 400 decimals." Quintin insulted. "Put her down, Quintin!" Eli's voice came. Quintin turned to see. The Shane Gang had built their own mech suit, with a few touches from their mecha beasts. Eli was piloting in the Lucky themed head. Kord and Trixie commanded the left and right arms. Harley controlled the blaster arming from the stomach. And Pronto served as the legs, though his cockpit was facing the wrong way. "Our mega mecha mech's gonna kick your mecha mech's iron butt!" Eli said as the mech got into a stance.

"Drop her easy and raise your hands, Quintin. We're shutting you down." Eli said. Quintin just laughed. "In that thing?" He asked, dropping Kate. Kate took off after she landed. "I've been perfecting this suit for years. How long did you spend cobbling that wreck together? 5 minutes?" Quintin asked insultingly. "45 minutes, Smart Guy!" Kord corrected. "It'll take me less time than that to disassemble it!" Quintin said, firing 4 more Roboslugs, hitting the gang's mech with fire, ice, electric and lava attacks. The cockpits stated short circuiting. The mech dropped to one knee. "Critical systems in tact! Barley." Kord said. The gang managed to get their mech back on its feet. Quintin was shocked, but unphased. The 2 mechs started to circle each other. "Try to get close and hammer him with a triple combo!" Eli said. "Roger that! Chiller, Rammer and Joules, locked and loaded!" Harley imformed.

The mech fired Chiller, Rammer and Joules all at once. Chiller blew Deepfreeze, creating an ice ball. "Ice attack. Infurnus defense downloaded. Been there, done that." Quintin said, targeting the ice ball. He then fired a Roboslug, spinning towards the ice ball, leaving a trail of fire behind it. But then, Rammer came in and punched the ice ball, breaking it up and launching ice spears to dodge the robot's fire attack. "Retargeting!" Quintin said, firing 10 more Roboslugs and creating an energy shield between them. But then, Joules slung several Tazerbolts, trailing along the ice spears, towards the robots, deactivating their shields. "NO!" Quintin shouted as the ice spears hit the mech, cracking the windshield. One of them even broke through and split Quintin's high-tech glasses in 2. "Oh yeah! Hi-five, Trixie." Kord said, raising the left arm. Trixie raised the right arm and hi-fived Kord.

"You know, the thing about slugs is you have to find them, train them, take care of them." Quintin said, pulling the one ice spear out from the windshield and putting on a spare pair of high-tech glasses. "Why do that when you can simply manufacture an endless supply?! Which is exactly what I have!" The mech fired hundreds more of Roboslugs towards the gang. "Big burst coming in dodge right!" Eli called. "No, go left!" Trixie said. "My right or your right?!" Pronto asked with confusion. "Too late! Incoming!" Harley yelled. The robots barraged into the gang's mech, backing it up against a building and knocking off Trixie's arm. "Aw man!" Trixie complained. "Don't worry, Trixie." Eli called. "Kord! You've got another arm. Use it!" Kord prepared his arm for firing, but Quintin fired 2 more Roboslugs, shorting out Kord's arm with Tazerbolts. Spinner evacuated from the arm and web parachuted to the ground as Kord's arm fell off. "Oh man! Can I worry now?!" Kord asked.

Back at the lab, Vance, Mario, Kate, Lash and Tobias were preparing bags. "Okay, we're all set." Mario said. "Just so you guys know, this plan has an 87% probability of ending in disaster." Kate said. "Eli and Harley are doing their part. We have to focus on ours." Tobias said. "Speaking of which, we better get going." Lash said. The others nodded and followed Lash out of the lab, carrying the bags.

Meanwhile, the gang's mech was pushed back into a building. "The only question remaining is how much longer I extend your suffering." Quintin said, firing another Roboslug. The bot fired 3 buzzsaws, slicing off the right leg. The mech started to wobble. "Come on, come on!" Eli said. "Hang on!" Pronto said, trying to keep the mech standing on its last good leg. Quintin just laughed at the sight. "Maybe a little longer." He said. Pronto continued to keep the mech standing by hopping it on its leg. "Gyros are burning out! This big baby's not gonna keep walking for long!" Kord said. "Well, technically, this is called a death hop." Pronto corrected. The mech started to topple against another building. "Losing control here!" Eli called. "So am I!" Trixie added. "I- am in- complete control." Pronto lied, noting that his cockpit caught fire. Quintin's mech made its way towards the gang's. Pronto tried one last trick. He pressed a little switch on his controls, firing Stinky from Fernando's head and hitting Quintin's mech with Blorfball. "Well, that's just embarrassing." Quintin said, waving off the gas. "I think I'll put you out of your misery." "TRY IT!" Eli yelled, driving their mech towards Quintin. "Points for tenacity." Quintin said sarcasm. The gang's mech crashed right into Quintin's arms. "Or is it just delusion? Either way, I wanna look you in the eye when I break you in 2!" Quintin said. "You thought we were building a robot to _beat_ yours? In 45 minutes?" Eli asked, breaking the windshield with the mech's head. "How dumb do you think we are? We were jus building a can opener." Eli opened his hatch and hopped down to Quintin. "And you were cocky enough to let me get close enough to do this! All yours, Noodle." He dropped Noodle, Squirm and Squeaky down on Quintin's lap, followed by the other Floppers on the team. "Flopper slugs on me!" Quintin cried. He activated his ejector seat and evacuated his mech. Eli dropped down as Quintin's seat hovered from the ground. "Showtime!" He said.

Quintin unbuckled himself as the Flopper trio hopped onto his shoulder, making him scream and unbalance himself on his seat. "Over here, Smart Guy. Where it all began." Eli called. "Where it ends!" Quintin said, loading his arm blaster. "For you anyway. Gonna draw?" Eli pulled up his empty blaster. "Blaster's empty. I used all my slugs to get this far." Eli said, putting his blaster away. "Come here. I wanna look you in the eye when I beat you." Quintin just chuckled. "Beat me? With your non-existent blaster and imaginary slugs?" He asked. "Just because my blaster's empty, doesn't mean I'm out of slugs." Eli assured, pointing his finger at Quintin, who was confused by this. That is until Eli went with a finger bang. Above, Vance, Kate, Lash, Mario and Tobias dropped dozens of slugs from their bags all over Quintin. Noodle, Squirm and Squeaky hopped into the pile and joined in the chitter fest. Quintin was paralyzed with fear. Eli walked up and removed the arm blaster. "Nice work, guys. You didn't even have to transform." He said.

Kord opened his hatch. "That was sweet, Eli!" He said. "Glad this thing held together as long as it-" Just then, both mechs started to tip over. Eli jumped out of the way as debris fell from both mechs. The mechs were about to crush Quintin. But Noodle, Squirm, Squeaky and the other slugs managed to pick Quintin up and carried him. "Quintin!" Eli called as the mechs finally collapsed. Quintin opened his eyes. He was alright. He looked to the slugs. "You- You saved me." He said. Noodle hopped up and nuzzled his cheek, making him giggle. "Cut it out! That tickles." He said as the other slugs joined in, until he realized. "It tickles! And I don't mind!" He rubbed Noodles' cheek. "I- I don't know what to say. Thank you." "Well, that's a good start." Eli said as he, Tobias and Kate walked up. "The magistrate is on his way. I imagine you'll have volumes to say to him." Tobias said.

Trixie, Kord and Harley managed to climb out of the mech wreckage. Pronto on the other hand, was looking for something. "I know it's here." He said. He found his bean can, dented and still not open. "There must be an easier way to open a can of beans." He whined. Harley looked at Kord and nodded. Kord took the can, opened the tab by the horn on his helmet and gave it back to Pronto. Overjoyed, Pronto poured the whole can into his mouth and munched happily. Trixie just rolled her eyes while Kord shook his head. Harley looked over the wreck. "We should get this thing fixed up. We may need it again someday." He said. "I was thinking the exact same thing, bro." Kord said, giving Harley a hi-five.

Afterwards, Quintin sat in his jail cell, when suddenly, he heard his cell open. "He's all yours." The guard said as Dr. Blakk walked in. "Hey, you're not my lawyer." Quintin pointed out. "Figured that out pretty quick." Blakk said. "I heard you were smart. And you know, Quintin, I can use a few smart men." He offered. Quintin thought about it and smiled.

**Well, that's finished. The Shane Gang went up against a very dangerous scientist with a fear of slugs. What will ever occur next? Leave a review if you want.**

**Authors note: Don't worry, friends. Eliza Shane will rejoin her sons after The Unbeatable Master.**

**Slug Arsenal:**

**Eli Shane: Burpy (Infurnus), Joules (Tazerling), Noodle (Flopper), Banger (Armashelt), Bolo (Polero), Rammer (Rammstone), Rocky (Hop Rock), Chiller (Frostcrawler), Burner (Lavalynx), Suds (Bubbaleone), Goober (Jellyish), Sparky (Grenuke), Doc (Boon Doc), Larry (Lariat), Gust (Tormato), Buzzsaw (Thresher), Digger (Crystalyd), Spinner (Arachnet), Mucky (Dirt Urchin), Tangles (Vinedrill), Spooker (Frightgeist), Charger (Fandango), Stunts (Speedstinger), Glimmer (Phosphoro), Mo (Enigmo), Dazer (Hypnogriff), Urchin (Sand Angler), Dozer (Slyren), Jinxer (Hexlet), Torch (Forgesmeltor)**

**Harley Shane: Matchstick (Flaringo), Squirm (Flopper), Frostbite (Frostcrawler), Webs (Arachnet), Gels (Jellyish), Zipper (Hoverbug), Ivy (Vinedrill), Masher (Rammstone), Frights (Frightgeist), Shredder (Thresher), Smelly (Flatulorhinkus), Claws (Armashelt), Splatz (Lariat), Twister (Tormato), Lucky (Hexlet), Sizzle (Grenuke), Quill (Dirt Urchin)**

**Trixie Sting: Bluster (Tormato), Blizzard (Frostcrawler), Spider (Arachnet), Twirl (Polero), Balloon (Bubbaleone), Haunter (Frightgeist), Pounder (Rammstone), Slicer (Thresher), Rocks (Hop Rock), Jelly (Jellyish), Blossom (Vinedrill), Spotty (Flopper)**

**Kord Zane: Bludgeon (Rammstone), Sploder (Hop Rock), Jolt (Tazerling), Trip (Polero), Flycatcher (Arachnet), Floatie (Bubbaleone), Iceberg (Frostcrawler), Scorch (Flaringo), Jetstream (AquaBeek), Spitz (Lariat), Chuckles (Gazzer), Floppy (Flopper)**

**Pronto Geronimo: Stinky (Flatulorhinkus), Slimey (Jellyish), Soapy (Bubbaleone), Bruiser (Rammstone), Flame (Flaringo), Loogie (Lariat), Windy (Tormato), Squeaky (Flopper)**

**Vance Volt: Blast (Hop Rock), Bloom (Vinedrill), Crust (Lavalynx), Legs (Arachnet), Swimy (AquaBeek), Hardcase (Armashelt), Squish (Jellyish), Blow (Tormato), Cheep (Flopper)**

**Mario Bravado: Ricochet (Sppedstinger), Slide (Frostcrawler), Crawler (Arachnet), Echo (AquaBeek), Mess (Jellyish), Breeze (Tormato), Kate (Flopper)**

**Lash: Zing (Tazerling), Speedy (Speedstinger), Hopper (Hop Rock), Bubba (Bubbaleone), Stinx (Flatulorhinkus), String (Polero), Goat (Rammstone), Sleepy (Slyren), Webber (Arachnet), Ice (Frostcrawler), Spark (Flaringo), Winger (Tormato), Witch (Hexlet), Phlegm (Lariat), Peep (Flopper)**


	22. The Unbeatable Master

_Chapter 22: The Unbeatable Master_

In a Japanese themed cavern, inside an urban tea shop, an elderly lady and a young girl wearing masks walked in. Both carried special double-ended blaster-staffs. They made their way to the counter, earning whispers from the other customers. The 2 sat at the counter and ordered 2 cups of tea. Just then, a man and his girlfriend walked up to them. "Those seats are in the reserved section." The man said, clearing his throat. "But we'll let you 2 have it, for the low price of everything you 2 got." "And as a bonus, you both get to keep your lives." The girlfriend added. The 2 remained silent. "Oh. Silent type." The man deduced. "You know what they say. Silence gives consent." The girlfriend said. She was about to make a grab for the elderly lady's gold bag, but the lady slapped her hand away with her staff. "You shouldn't take things that aren't yours. Not unless you're ready to pay the price for your actions." The girl said. "Oh, now you just bought yourselves something else!" The man said as he and his girlfriend aimed their blasters at the 2. But the elderly lady knocked the man down to the ground and swept the girlfriend from under her feet. 2 more guys stood up and aimed their blasters. The lady split her staff in 2, aiming both ends of her blaster-staff at them and blasting them into the fountain. "I warned you." The girl said, sipping her tea. "I heard there are 2 new Shanes. I want them!" The woman said.

* * *

**(Intro)**

* * *

The gang rode into the town. "Long way to ride for 2 masked troublemakers." Eli pointed out. "No kidding. I'm ready to take a nap." Harley yawned. "You said it. I've got mecha sores on my mecha sores." Kord said, gripping his sore butt. "Not to worry, my blistery friend. Pronto has a most secret molenoid remedy. Sarsaparilla." Pronto said, holding up a bottle of remedy, putting a bit on his neck. Kord took the bottle and examined it while Trixie filmed. "Do I drink the whole thing?" Kord asked as Pronto snatched it back. "You- You drink it?!" Pronto asked in surprise.

Just then, blasters and screams were being heard from inside the shop. A large crowd gathered just before the gang pulled up. "You sure about this, Eli?" Trixie asked as Eli hopped off Lucky. "Sounds like some pretty tough characters in there." "I know Dad never had the chance to train us, but he always said that a Shane never backs down from a challenge." Eli said, staring at the building. "That's right. And we're not starting now." Harley agreed. "That doesn't mean you 2 have to face it alone." Trixie said as she and the others joined the brothers. "8 against 1?" Pronto asked from behind Kord. "Yes! Allow Pronto to lead the charge." He was about to walk in when a guy was blasted out of the shop and landed at Pronto's feet. "Do not go in there!" The guy warned. "Come on, guys." Eli said, leading his gang inside. Pronto chuckled sheepishly. "After I render aid to this poor, injured soul." He said dramatically, pulling out his sarsaparilla bottle. "Have a sarsaparilla."

The gang walked into the shop and looked around, spotting the 2 sitting at their table, sipping their tea. Burpy chittered with confidence. "Are you the 2 who called us out?" Eli asked. The 2 just sipped their tea and pulled their masks back up. Eli and Harley walked up to them. "Are we gonna duel or-" The woman pointed her staff at Eli. "Hey!" Harley tried to pull out his blaster, but the girl blocked him. Kord pulled out his blaster, but Trixie stopped him from shooting. The woman grabbed Eli's face and examined him. "A little young. Skinny." She said, letting go of Eli's face. "Hey! Watch it!" Eli said, insulted. The woman smacked Eli's knee with her staff. "But knot kneed too." She deduced. "What about him?" The girl asked, gesturing to Harley. The woman grabbed his face and examined him. "About the same, excluding the knot knees." She said, letting go. "We'll see how they do at the Winnowing." "Winnowing? Is that some kind of duel?" Eli asked. Harley shrugged. "Look mister-" The woman pulled her mask and hood down, revealing her elderly face. Eli and Harley were shocked. Burpy chittered happily, as if he knew this woman. The gang went wide-eyed. "Lady. Ma'am? Not to be rude, but could we just slug this out and be on our way?" Eli asked. "Yeah, can we? We've got a busy schedule." Harley added. "You're Will Shane's kids. He was a good man. Worthy of the name." The woman said, pouring some more tea. "We're not gonna duel, are we?" Eli asked in disappointment. "My mind's telling me no." Harley guessed. "I'm Eli. That's my brother Harley." Eli introduced. "Eli and Harley Shane-" "A name's gotta be earned, Knot Knees! If you and your brother want to earn yours, come to Dojang Grotto at first glow." The woman instructed. "Speaking of names, we didn't get yours." Eli said. "Shanai." The woman introduced. "And my granddaughter, Shimei." The girl also removed her hood, revealing her face. She nearly resembled her grandmother, but younger and beautiful. Her beauty caught Lash's eyes. "Eli, Harley, that's the Unbeatable Master." Trixie revealed in shock. "The Un-what-able who?" Eli asked. He turned to see that they were gone. "Where'd they go?" He asked.

Later that night, the gang sat around a campfire, telling Eli and Harley all about the Unbeatable Master. "The Master knows the thousand secrets of slinging." Trixie said. "The Master's gaze can melt solid rock." Kord said. "The Master can remove grape juice from linens and banish the blasé!" Pronto said, roasting a wiener on a stick. "The Master can scout her way through an active volcano without even moving." Vance said. "The Master can cause an entire herd of mecha beasts to scamper with a single footstep." Mario said. "The Master can chop down an entire field with just one swing of her staff." Lash said. Eli and Harley just shook their heads in amusement. "Okay, the stories may be exaggerated, but one thing is certain. The Unbeatable Master is the greatest slug slinger who ever lived." Trixie said. "She only appears at a time of her choosing, to take a single student." Kord started to explain. Pronto pulled his stick back, but his wiener was missing. He looked around for it, and saw that Burpy, Banger, Doc and Chiller swiped it. "She hasn't been seen in 30 years. The Master trained every Shane in recorded history. Including-" "Our dad!" Eli said in realization. "Eli, do you realize what this means?!" Harley asked. "Yes. Real training! This is what we've been wanting since we got to Slugterra." Eli said. "Let's turn in. Big day for us tomorrow." "It's a big day for all Slugterrans, babe." Trixie said. "Uh, of course it is. Yeah." Eli said, confused at what his fiancé said. "What do you think Trixie means?" He whispered. "No idea." Harley whispered.

* * *

The next morning, Eli and Harley had arrived at the gates to Dojang Grotto. Eli and Harley both gave a big yawn as Burpy woke up in his sleeping sock, slightly glaring at the brothers. "I know. We're early." Eli said, knowing the look. "We couldn't sleep. Didn't wanna wake the others." He said. The brothers rode their mechas through the gates, getting a look at the place. They dismounted their mechas and walked over to a silhouetted figure they thought was Shanai. "This is a great honor." Eli said. The figure stood up, revealing to be Jacques from Scorch Sparks Cavern during the tournament. "It sure enough is." Jacques said. "Jacques?!" The brothers said in shock. "Hey! Eli and Harley! Been a while since Scorch Sparks, has it not?" Jacques greeted. "What are you doing here, Jacques?" Eli asked. "The Unbeatable Master done put out the call. Figured I got about as much chance as any." Jacques explained. "But the Master teaches the Shanes." Eli thought. "Mostly she do, my friends. But-" Jacques said, pointing towards the gate. Eli and Harley saw a crowd gathering. "But not just Shanes." Eli guessed. "That actually makes sense." Harley said.

"Told you." Shanai said, smacking Eli's arm with her staff. "You and your brother have to earn that name with me, Knot Knees. I am here to train the most worthy. If that is one of you, prove it." She walked away. "So, it's a competition." Eli guessed, looking at the other guests. The King of Sling, Shockwire and the Power Trips were there. One unknown slinger took a sly look at the brothers as he passed their gaze. "Okay. No problem." Eli said. "I hope so. I still remember how tough these guys were in that tournament." Harley said.

Just then, Eli noticed the others riding up. "Guys!" He called. "You came. Thanks for the support." "Support? We're here to compete." Trixie said. "What? You 2 thought all this was about you?" Vance asked. "No!" Eli said quickly. Burpy just shrugged. "Yeah. Kinda." Eli admitted sheepishly. "If she doesn't pick one of you 2, might as well be one of the gang." Kord said. "That is support, right?" "Yes. We will support you by fighting against you." Pronto said. "Thanks. I guess." Eli said. "Well, nice to see you all could make it." Shimei greeted. "Well, it's really an honor just to be here really." Lash said, blushing. Shimei then started to blush too from hearing Lash's compliment. But then she shook it off, clearing her throat. "Right. Well, come then. My grandmother is about to begin the competition." She said.

"Welcome, one and all, to the Winnowing." Shanai greeted as the gang and other slingers gathered around the stone she stood on. Shimei stood beside her. "Winnowing is a way of separating grain." She said, taking a handful of grain and crushing it in her hand, allowing the dust to fall to her other hand. "The wind carries off the chaff, leaving the pure kernel." Pronto chuckled softly, getting Eli's attention. "Every molenoid knows this." He muttered. Shanai then drew a line into the ground. "Now, for anyone who would be a slug master, stand on this line." She instructed. Everyone was a bit confused at first, but then Eli and Harley charged towards the line. Everyone else soon followed. Eli, Harley and their gang were the first to stand on the line. The other slingers soon raced towards them, making the gang worry. Just then, the slingers crashed into each other. "Ooh, that is just messy." Shimei muttered. Jacques, Shockwire and the Power Trips were struggling with each other. "All of you are dismissed. Selfishness and cruelty have no place in a slug master." Shanai declared. Jacques and Shockwire walked towards the exit, but the Trips stood their ground. "No! We are not leaving!" The red one said as they drew their blasters. "Not really your choice." Shanai said, prepping her blaster and slinging her 2 top slugs. Ping, a rare white Boon Doc, and Yang, a Negashade. As they transformed, Yang went ahead first, blinding the Trips with Shadowblak. Then Ping fired her Medray, blasting the Trips right out of the grounds.

The gang could not believe their eyes at what Shanai's slugs just did. "Did you see how those slugs were working together?" Eli asked. "I know! I mean, you and Harley do combo moves all the time. But nothing like that." Trixie said. "Yeah. Grandma has a big distaste for slingers who step out of line. You break the rules, that's the thanks you get." Shimei explained. "The rest of you, I can dismiss anyone at any time." Shanai warned as King and the other guy straightened themselves. "My reasons are my own and my judgement is final! Understood?" The gang just nodded nervously. "Then let's see what you got."

Everyone gathered at a target range. Kord and Pronto fired their slugs back-to-back, destroying target after target. Kord then slung Bludgeon, destroying 3 targets at once. Kord and Pronto then gave each other a respected fist bump. As Shanai and Shimei observed the events Eli walked up to them. "Master? Can you demons that tandem shot again? I'd love to figure out how you did that." He asked. "I'm not demonstrating, Knot Knees. I'm selecting. Ask again, and you'll _be_ the demonstration." Shanai warned. "Oh. Got it." Eli said sheepishly. "When you're finished with your awkward moment, we will begin the one-on-one duels." Shanai said. "Nice one, Eli." Eli muttered to himself. Harley just patted him on the shoulder.

Later, Shanai paired everyone up for the one-on-one duels. Trixie was paired against the unknown guy, Eli was paired against the King, Kord was paired with Pronto, Vance got paired with Mario, and Harley was paired up Lash. Shanai oversaw the preparations. "Begin." She said.

Kord drew his blaster and slung his Armashelt, Pincer. Pronto slung his Hop Rock, Blocky. Pincer slammed Blocky aside and made straight for Pronto. Pronto quickly ducked down before Pincer could hit him.

Eli fired Banger, but King just danced out of the way. "You do know this isn't a dance competition, right?" Eli asked.

Mario fired Porky, his new Dirt Urchin, while Vance fired Crust. Porky attacked with Sandburr, but Crust knocked him away and fired Geyservault towards Mario. Mario quickly jumped out of the way. "That was good, Volt, but not good enough." He stated. "Bring it on." Vance dared with respect.

Harley fired Masher, about to throw a punch at Lash, but Lash flipped aside and fired Ice, freezing Harley's feet in place with Deepfreeze. "Brrrr! I heard of getting cold feet, but this is just freezingly ridiculous." Harley said. "Sorry Harley, but you should worry less about your feet right now." Lash said, loading another slug.

Trixie slung Bluster, but the other slinger slung a Rammstone, upper-cutting the poor Tormato, causing a back-breeze to blow towards Trixie as Bluster dropped at her feet. "Who is that kid?" Eli asked, looking at the unknown slinger with a strange feeling of Deja vu. Even Lash took a glare at the slinger, knowing he seen him before.

With Lash distracted, Harley managed to break his feet out of the ice and fired Twister. Lash got blown back by Galestorm and tumbled to the ground, almost hitting his head on a rock. Harley raced over and helped his friend up. "Sorry about that, dude." He apologized. "It's all good. Still a rookie singer after all." Lash said forgivingly. "Rookie slinger is right. You know where to go, Rookie." Shanai said. Lash looked down and turned to walk away. Shimei looked at Lash with hurt in her heart. "And as for you-" Shanai started, making Harley worried. "-I'll hold off on what to do with you until after the final duel." She decided.

Vance and Mario were at a bit of a standstill. It all came down to their final slug. So, they both fired a Rammstone. Vance's was named Punch, and Mario's was called Dunk. Punch and Dunk flew past each other and punched out Vance and Mario at the same time! "Both of you. Out!" Shanai declared. Vance and Mario both groaned as they started to recover.

"Come on! You call that slug slinging?" Kord asked, unimpressed with Pronto's motives for slug slinging. "My own special technique. I call it-" Pronto started to say until Kord fired Jetstream, soaking Pronto with Aquajet. "Catchy name." Kord said. As Pronto recovered, Shanai walked up to him, shaking her head. "Alas, the poor cave troll. Let him down easy." Pronto said, thinking she was letting Kord out. "I meant you, Lumpy. Out!" Shanai said. Pronto was distraught, hearing this. "You're excused too, Shoulders. Ton of heart, but the subtlety of a train wreck." Shanai said, making Kord depressed. "Exit's-" "Yeah, yeah. To the left." Kord said, joining Pronto, Vance, Mario and Lash in leaving. But then Ping and Yang chittered something. "Wait a minute." Shanai said, stopping the 5. "They think you 5 should stick around." The 5 were confused. "Got their own reasons. I don't ask. Stay as our guests." Shanai offered. Kord and Pronto slid some skin, and Vance and Mario fist-bumped.

Lash was confused. "Why would she ask us to stay when we just lost?" He asked. "She didn't ask. Ping and Yang did." Shimei corrected. Lash was confused. "People talk to their slugs, but some have learned to listen." Shimei explained. "Oh, I get it." Lash said. "Then come, let us oversee the remainder of the duels." Shimei said, holding out her arm. Lash took it and walked on back with her. Shanai noticed this and gave a small approving smile.

Eli rolled in and slung Stunts. Once again, King danced out of the way, but Stunts bounced off the rocks behind him and hit the back of his head, making him dizzy. "Nice moves, your Majesty." Shanai said with sarcasm. "Move him on out the gate." "Yes Grandmother." Shimei said, helping the King towards the gate. Eli chuckled as Stunts hopped happily back into his hand. "Ha-ha. Laugh. You're about 1 inch from following out that gate!" Shanai said strictly. "But I hit him." Eli protested. "_They _hit him." Shanai corrected, petting Stunts with her finger. "Slugs are more than ammunition. More than just your little pals." "I know. Harley and I talk to them all the time." Eli said. "But do you listen?" Shanai asked. Eli started to think about it.

The unknown slinger slung a Jellyish, while Trixie slung her new Sand Angler, Dunes. The Jellyish brought Dunes down with Loogi and splattered Trixie into defeat with Slimeleon. "You're done too, Pigtails." Shanai said. Eli helped gently helped Trixie up. "Are you okay?" He asked. "Yeah. I'm fine." Trixie assured. Eli stared at the unknown slinger. "Only 1 challenger between me and training with the Master. Ever seen him before?" He asked. "No. But do me a favor. Get me some payback!" Trixie said. A Dirt Urchin hopped onto the slinger's shoulder. "Ugh! Gross!" Trixie said, getting the slime out of her hair as she rejoined the others. Lash continued to stare at the slinger. "Something wrong?" Shimei asked. "I know that guy somehow. I can't put my finger on it right now, but I do know him somehow." Lash said. Eli walked up to the slinger. "May the best man win." He said. "Oh, I intend to." The slinger said with a familiar voice. Lash's eyes went wide-eyed. "That voice." He said as the gang glared. "Take a break, Loki." The slinger said. The slug dropped its illusion, revealing Twist's Smugglet ghoul, Loki. "Twist!" Eli said in realization as Twist revealed himself. "I knew it!" Lash muttered.

"What's the matter Eli? Does it bother you and your little band of do-gooders that I'm here with the Unbeatable Master?" Twist asked. "The contest is open to anyone, remember?" "Then why the disguise?" Eli asked as Harley and the others joined up with him. "Apologies, but Eli and I are…rivals. I didn't want to cause a distraction to this ceremony." Twist said, having Loki hop into his hand. "Takes quite a bond for a slinger to share his slug's latent delusion power. Even I couldn't see through it." Shanai said with impression. The gang could not believe what she was saying. Even Shimei was surprised. "That's because he's using a ghoul!" Eli said. "And you think just because I've been gone a few years, I don't know what a ghoul is?" Shanai asked. "It's the slinger I'm choosing. Not the slug." Eli glared while Burpy was saddened from what Shanai said. Just then, Shanai started coughing. "Grandma!" Shimei cried, helping her grandmother. "Are you alright?" Eli asked. "I'll be fine." Shanai assured. Eli looked at Shimei who shook his head. "Rest yourselves. We will begin the final duel tomorrow morning." Shanai declared, walking away. "See you then." Twist said. "Not if I have anything to say about it!" Eli said with a glare.

As the gang all walked away to their resting areas, Shimei noticed Lash still glaring after his villainous brother. She walked up to him. "I've noticed from your glares that you've had a longer history with this boy." She guessed. "Unfortunately, yes. Twist is my older brother. Or at least, he used to be before I joined Eli and his gang." Lash revealed. "What happened?" Shimei asked. "Come. I'll tell you." Lash said, bringing her aside.

* * *

Later, Eli walked up to Shanai, who appeared to be meditating. "Master Shanai?" He said, noticing her stance. "Oh. You're meditating." Suddenly, Shanai jolted awake. "I was sleeping." She said, yawning and stretching her arms. "Sorry. But I need to warn you-" Eli started to say, until Shanai started coughing again. "You're sick, aren't you?" Eli asked. "Never mind me." Shanai said, blowing falling leaves away with a small push of her hand. "You, your brother and your friends have issues with that ghoul slinger." She deduced. "We trusted him once and he betrayed us. He's misguided and dangerous. He's fallen in league with Dr. Blakk." Eli explained. "Hmm. Then perhaps he needs my guidance more than you and your brother do." Shanai said. "I don't understand." Eli said with confusion. "Light. Dark. There's a little in all of us. The trick is finding balance." Shanai explained. "Master, please. You don't know Twist like I do." Eli tried to reason. Shanai picked up her staff and pointed it at Eli. "Never presume to know the heart of another! Focus on your own inner peace." Shanai instructed. "Are you so sure you know the best path?" "I thought I did." Eli said. "Indeed." Shanai agreed, standing down. "This reminds me of a time some 30 years ago." She began to tell a story. "I had winnowed the applicants to 2. One was a promising young Shane named Will. The other was Thaddeus Blakk." "Blakk and our dad? They were friends?" Eli asked. Shanai just chuckled. "Not friends, but not yet enemies. They were…rivals." She explained. "Each showed unique promise. Your father was rough around the edges, but a natural slinger. And what Thaddeus lacked with slug accumbent, he made up with sheer innovation. But Thaddeus, he lacked connection and respect for slugs and their place in the universe. Will had a reckless streak, but he was the clear choice. But Thaddeus. Something happened to him that day. A spark that was the beginning of his journey down the dark path. A spark that _I_ helped create." Eli could not believe what he was hearing. "I had very few regrets in my long years, but one question still haunts me. Did I choose the right pupil that day?" Shanai continued. "I don't understand. You said our father was the best." Eli thought. "Your father was a great Shane, would have been without my help." Shanai said. "But Blakk, perhaps I could've stopped him from taking the dark path that he chose." Eli looked away with doubt. Shanai started to slowly stand up. Eli helped her. "Come now. It's getting late. You need to rest for the final duel tomorrow." She said, walking away. Eli walked back, knowing that he had no other choice. Shanai looked back at Eli as he walked back to the resting areas. In her mind secretly, she already chose him and Harley to receive her training.

* * *

Later that night, Shimei walked into her grandmother's training room, where Shanai was training. "Grandmother, I'm sorry to disturb your training." Shimei started. "You are not disturbing me, Shimei." Shanai assured. "Now, come talk. What's on your mind, child?" "Grandmother, I know it's not my place to say, but I must ask that you reconsider this final duel. Just send the ghoul slinger on his way and train the Shane boys. Call it a day." Shimei said. Shanai just stared at what her own granddaughter just said. Shimei, feeling ashamed, just lowered her head. "I assume you also have doubts about the ghoul slinger." Shanai guessed. "Lash. He and Twist are brothers. He told me about their past with Will Shane and the death of their slug smuggling father." Shimei explained. "I see." Shanai said, putting all of this to mind. "Please, Grandmother. I just don't want to see Eli and his gang get hurt. Mostly even Lash." Shimei pleaded. Shanai just stared. "I'm sorry, Shimei. But my decision is final. Tomorrow, I shall decide who the clear choice will be." She said, walking out. Shimei just sighed with depression. "And the way you care for the Lash boy. You have my blessing." Shanai said with a smile as she left completely. Shimei smiled, putting her hand over her heart.

Meanwhile, Lash was walking back to his resting area after taking care of 'business'. Suddenly, he noticed Twist heading for the gate. He crept over and peaked by the gate. There he saw Twist talking with Shockwire and the Power Trips. "Okay, you know what to do." Twist said. "Yes sir. We'll be back before the time the duel even ends." Shockwire assured as he and the Trips rode off on their mechas. "What're you up to, Twist?" Lash whispered as he headed back to the resting areas.

* * *

The next morning, Eli told the gang everything Shanai told him yesterday. "She'd really do it? Train Blakk's right hand man?" Trixie asked as Eli looked over his blaster. "And you're just gonna go through with this?" Mario asked. "I have to win now. We can't afford to let her secrets fall into Blakk's hands. With those and his ghoul arsenal, Dr. Blakk could be unstoppable." Eli said, glaring at Twist limbering up. "But that's not what worries me the most." "Then what does?" Kord asked. "She may have already made her choice." Eli said with worry.

"You've each proven yourselves worthy." Shanai said from atop her rock. "This isn't a duel. It's an assessment. The judgement is mine alone. Begin." Eli and Twist took their position. "You're not winning this, Twist." Eli said. "You never know, Eli." Twist assured. They prepared themselves. Eli drew first and fired Rammer. Twist backflipped to dodge and slung Loki, landing in front of Eli and creating holograms of Twist. "Really Twist? Again, with the holograms?" Eli asked. Shanai raised an eyebrow, wondering what Eli was planning. Eli slung Stunts, repeating the same performance he did the last time Eli faced Twist. Eli noticed the real Twist making his way towards him. So, he loaded Banger and waited. Twist dodged an incoming Stunts and took aim at Eli. But Eli fired first, knocking Twist to the ground with Banger. The gang cheered and raced for Eli. Even Shanai smiled, knowing that she made the right choice afterall. "Not quite like the master, but good enough." Eli said.

As the gang crowded Eli with hugs, praises and compliments, Twist slowly got up and aimed his blaster at them. But Shimei knocked it away. "Don't try it. You've lost. As all who follow Blakk will." She said. "She's right." Shanai said. "You have lost, ghoul slinger. Leave." Twist just chuckled. "I don't think so." He said. Suddenly, there was a banging sound coming from the gate. It was broken down. There, on his own personal made mecha beast, stood Dr. Blakk. "Hello Master. It's been a while." He greeted. Shanai just glared.

* * *

Blakk's guards, along with Jon Bull, Shockwire and the Power Trips, charged in, surrounding the Shane Gang. "Hands where we can see them please." Blakk said, stepping off his mecha beast. "I thought so. Twist ordered Shockwire and the Power Trips to bring Blakk here." Lash said, figuring it out. "We told you. We were not leaving." The red Trip reminded. "If you're after the Master's secrets, you can forget it, Blakk!" Eli said. Blakk just chuckled. "Please. I have surpassed such banalities. This arcane ritual holds but one purpose, to prove who is best." Blakk said. "My brother just did, when he took down your apprentice." Harley said. "Don't believe everything you see." Twist said, aiming his blaster at the brothers. "Fine. I'm down for a rematch. With either of you!" Eli offered. "I'm up for a piece too." Harley said. "You and your brother are arrogant knots, Eli. 2 I will swat in due time. But there is 1 here who is worthy of my attention." Blakk said. "Today, I will demonstrate my superiority, by beating the Unbeatable Master herself!" Suddenly, Shanai's staff appeared in Blakk's face. "You have nothing to prove, Thaddeus. But if this will bring you peace, then I accept your challenge." Shanai said, accepting. "Careful Master. He fights dirty." Eli warned. "And his ghouls are-" "It will be okay…Eli." Shanai assured. Shimei, however, was not convinced, concerning her grandmother's condition.

Blakk walked over to his mecha and took something from the side. It was a huge, two-handed blaster, loaded with hundreds of loaded ghouls. "What is that thing?" Trixie asked. "A gattler!" Kord said, recognizing the design. "But no one's been ever to build a working model." "Until now. We even had it customly modified from a mutual friend of ours." Jon Bull said. "Sergeant Slug!" Harley muttered with realization.

Shanai and Blakk took their position. "There's another way, Thaddeus. A better path. Let me teach you." Shanai said. "You no longer offer anything I would find useful." Blakk said, prepping his gattler. Shanai prepared for the attack. "And the name's Blakk! Dr. Blakk!" Blakk started firing 3 ghouls at once. An Amperling, a Hop Jack, and a Tempesto. The gang quickly took cover to avoid getting hit. Shanai fired Yang and her own Hop Rock. Yang quickly blinded the ghouls with Shadowblak, then the Hop Rock moved in between the 3 and exploded.

Twist fired a Hop Jack at Eli. But Eli dodged and fired Rammer, knocking Twist's blaster out of his hand. Eli fired a couple more slugs at Twist as he took cover behind a rock.

"Trixie, Kord, Pronto, form up!" Harley called, drawing his blaster. Trixie, Kord and Pronto went back-to-back with Harley, and all 4 started knocking down Blakk's guards with their slugs.

The Power Trips and several more guards had started to circle around Shimei. "One move and you're ghoul chow, girly." The girl Trip warned. Shimei just smiled. "Bring it." She said. The Trips and guards started firing their ghouls. Shimei dodged the ghouls with great skill and started knocking the guards down one-by-one with her staff. As the boy Trips joined in, Shimei beat them silly as well. "Is your foot all right?" She asked as she hurt the green Trip's foot. She then swept both boy Trips from under their feet and swerved over to the girl Trip, pointing her staff's blaster point at her chest. The girl Trip gulped. "Bye-bye." Shimei said, blasting a close-up Hop Rock and sending the girl Trip flying.

Vance and Lash were cornered by more of Blakk's guards. "You got a plan, Vance?" Lash asked as the guards took aim with their blasters. "Yeah, I got one." Vance said. He whistled for something. The guards just laughed. That is until they heard something. They turned around to see Vance's mecha beast charging in and kicking a few guards down. "Now, let's clean up the spares." Vance said, pulling up his blaster and charging in. "My kind of party." Lash said, following him in.

Unknown to them, Jon Bull aimed a sniper blaster right at Lash from atop a hill. He was about to pull the trigger when his scope went dark. He turned to see Shimei knocking him out with her staff. "That's my man!" She said.

Mario went up against Shockwire. "You're gonna regret not joining Blakk when you had the chance, Bravado!" Shockwire said, pulling up a duo of shock blasters and firing 2 Amperlings at once. Mario turned and backflipped from a rock, dodging the ghouls and slinging Echo. Shockwire got hit by Aquajet and his suit started to short out. He then was knocked out after the suit exploded.

Blakk continued to fire ghoul after ghoul, laughing like a madman. Shanai deflected the ghouls with her staff and slung Ping, curing a Grimmstone, a Hop Jack and a Thrasher with Healray. Shanai then charged towards Blakk as he fired more ghouls. She then flipped over him and fired Ping as she landed. Blakk managed to block the white Boon Doc with another ghoul, but both him and Shanai were blown back by the energy wave.

Eli moved behind the rock where Twist hid, but Twist was gone. "Where are you, Twist?!" Eli asked with anger.

Blakk leapt forward and aimed his blaster at Shanai, but she knocked it aside and knocked him down. Blakk got back on his feet and threw a punch at Shanai, but she dodged it and swatted Blakk with her staff. Blakk tried to fire a ghoul, but Shanai locked her staff into the barrel hole, causing a short-circuiting feedback between both blasters and creating a big energy wave, blowing Shanai and Blakk backwards. "Is that the best your pathetic art can muster?" Blakk asked as he recovered. "Surrender Thaddeus! It's never too late to make the right choice." Shanai offered. Blakk just fired a Grimmstone. Shanai swatted it away. "Forgive me, Thaddeus." She said as Blakk stood up. "I did not want it to come to this." She readied her staff blaster's barrels for Ping and Yang to jump in. She started spinning her staff, preparing both ends. Then she fired Ping and Yang at the same time. The 2 then grabbed arms and spun around and around, creating a beam of fused light and shadow energies and blasting Blakk into the rocks.

The gang was shocked at what Shanai's slugs did. "What was that?!" Eli asked. "It looked like the pure combination of slug powers!" Trixie guessed. "A fusion shot?! I thought that was impossible!" Eli said. "It is for the average slug slinger, Eli. But not for my grandmother. She knows every impossible shots known to slug slinging." Shimei explained. "Awesome!" Harley squealed.

Shanai picked Ping and Yang back up with her staff, nodded approvingly to them and looked back to Blakk. "It's over." She said. But just then, Blakk turned into Twist! It was just a distraction caused by one of Loki's illusions! Eli turned a saw Blakk on the steps behind Shanai. "NO!" Eli yelled. But Blakk fired a Goon Doc ghoul from his gattler, hitting Shanai in the back with Leachfang. "GRANDMA!" Shimei cried as Shanai fell to the ground. Blakk just smiled nastily. The Goon Doc hopped away as the gang ran up to her. "Doc! Can you-" Eli asked as Doc hopped out of his barrel to examine the wound. "It's too late." Shanai said weakly. Doc shook his head, knowing that he couldn't cure Shanai. "I'm- I'm sorry." Eli said, about to cry. "We both are." Harley followed. Even the others looked on sadly. "Don't be, Eli. You and your brother are true Shanes. You both can bring peace to the caverns. You just have to find it in yourselves." Shanai said. "One last mystery." She pointed to her blaster. Eli handed it to her. She loaded Ping and Yang once more. "Grandma?" Shimei said, knowing what Shanai was doing. "Be brave, Shimei. And remember, that I, just as your parents, will always be with you. In your heart." Shanai said. Shimei nodded, giving her dying grandmother one last big tearful hug. As she pulled away, Shanai fired Ping and Yang into the sky. The 2 slugs spun around and created a heavenly light orb. The gang watch as Shanai's body levitated towards the light. Her body disappeared as the light faded away. Eli looked at Shanai's blaster and Ping and Yang, who landed near it.

"Well done, Twist. You played your part commendably." Blakk said. Bull helped Twist, who sustained heavy injuries from Shanai's fusion move. "Those wounds will heal." "She's gone. I didn't think-" Twist started to say in disbelief. "Her time was up. I will you all the training you'll ever need." Blakk said. "Move out!" He ordered. "No." Eli said. "Excuse me?" Blakk asked. "I said no. No more. You will never hurt another innocent person and just walk away!" Eli declared angrily. "Yes. Your cruelty ends right here, right now." Harley growled. "I just defeated the greatest slinger who ever lived. What choice do you 2 have?" Blakk asked, pulling up his gattler. Eli held up Shanai's blaster. Burpy and Joules hopped into the barrels. "Make your move." Blakk dared, firing 3 ghouls from his gattler, a Grimmstone, a Tempesto and a Greneater. Eli fired Burpy and Joules at the same time. As Burpy and Joules transformed, they spun back-to-back and created an ionized plasma blast engulfed in flames. They fired the blast, knocking the ghouls away and blasted Blakk to the ground, damaging his gattler in the process. "Slug the Shane Gang, brothers!" The girl Trip ordered, aiming her blaster at the gang. The guards and the boy Trips aimed as well. "No! We've won enough for today." Blakk assured as he recovered. "Come Twist." The gang watched as Blakk's army left. "You're backing the wrong guy, Twist, and you know it!" Eli advised. "You know Eli's right, Twist. Working with Blakk won't bring our father back." Lash added. Twist looked at them as he left, thinking about what they were saying. He did know that he was siding with the wrong guy. He just didn't care.

* * *

Later on, the Shane Gang held a private memorial for Shanai. Eli layed her blaster down in front of a monument. Trixie spread flowers through the air. Pronto played a farewell melody on his flute. The others looked on with very said expressions. Even all of their slugs bowed with a sad farewell. Shimei wiped a single tear from her face as Pronto finished the song. "That was lovely, Pronto." Trixie said. "Lucky for us, it's the only song Pronto knows." Pronto said. "I feel like I'm better having known her." Kord said. "We all do, big guy." Mario said. "What next, Eli? Now you and Harley will never be trained by the Master. You guys will never learn her secrets." Trixie said. "The Master might have taught us more. But the 2 of us and our slugs can figure it out on our own." Eli assured as Burpy and Joules hopped onto his shoulders. "That's right. And when we do, Blakk is going down for good." Harley added. "Too bad about her blaster." Kord said. When Eli slung Burpy and Joules for a fusion shot, Shanai's blaster shorted out and got destroyed. "It would've been a powerful weapon against Blakk." "Yeah, especially with the skill to make those fusion shots." Mario added. "It's okay guys. I have some ideas for one of my own. And one for Harley too." Eli assured. "Yeah. We're gonna need it if Eli wants to make that fusion move again, or any other fusions there might be." Harley agreed. "Blakk has up the ante with that new blaster of his. Now it's our turn." Eli spoke out. "We're taking the battle to Blakk, and we're not stopping. Not until every ghoul is cured. Not until we stop Dr. Blakk's plans once and for all!"

As the gang prepared to leave, Lash noticed Shimei looking over the damage Blakk and his goons did to the grotto. Lash walked over. "You okay?" He asked. "Don't know if I'll ever be. My grandmother's gone. My home is destroyed. I don't know what to do now." Shimei said. "Well, why don't you come with us? Be part of our gang." Lash offered. Shimei looked at him with disbelief. "Lash is right. You are welcome to join us, if you want." Eli said, walking up with Harley. Shimei thought about it. Then she smiled. "Okay. I'll do what I can to help." She said. "Great. Oh, and you might need these 2. They are yours now, after all." Eli said, holding out Ping and Yang. "No. Ping and Yang belong to you and your brother, Eli." Shimei said. Eli seemed confused. "Grandmother would've wanted you 2 to have them more than me." Shimei said. Eli nodded. Harley held out his hand for Ping. Lash then took Shimei's hand softly, intertwining their fingers. "Welcome to the family, Shimei." He said. Shimei nodded.

**Wow! The Shane Gang meet the Unbeatable Master, and Blakk has a new weapon built from the modifications of Sergeant Slug's slug pumping cannon. And now with the Master's granddaughter now joining their ranks and learning about fusion moves, the Shane Gang will stop at nothing to defeat Dr. Blakk and his ghouls. Leave a review if you want. Happy Canada Day everybody!**

**Slug Arsenal:**

**Eli Shane: Burpy (Infurnus), Joules (Tazerling), Noodle (Flopper), Banger (Armashelt), Bolo (Polero), Rammer (Rammstone), Rocky (Hop Rock), Chiller (Frostcrawler), Burner (Lavalynx), Suds (Bubbaleone), Goober (Jellyish), Sparky (Grenuke), Doc (Boon Doc), Larry (Lariat), Gust (Tormato), Buzzsaw (Thresher), Digger (Crystalid), Spinner (Arachnet), Mucky (Dirt Urchin), Tangles (Vinedrill), Spooker (Frightgeist), Charger (Fandango), Stunts (Speedstinger), Glimmer (Phosphoro), Mo (Enigmo), Dazer (Hypnogriff), Urchin (Sand Angler), Dozer (Slyren), Jinxer (Hexlet), Torch (Forgesmeltor), Yang (Negashade)**

**Harley Shane: Matchstick (Flaringo), Squirm (Flopper), Frostbite (Frostcrawler), Webs (Arachnet), Gels (Jellyish), Zipper (Hoverbug), Ivy (Vinedrill), Masher (Rammstone), Frights (Frightgeist), Shredder (Thresher), Smelly (Flatulorhinkus), Claws (Armashelt), Splatz (Lariat), Twister (Tormato), Lucky (Hexlet), Sizzle (Grenuke), Quill (Dirt Urchin), Ping (White Boon Doc)**

**Trixie Sting: Bluster (Tormato), Blizzard (Frostcrawler), Spider (Arachnet), Twirl (Polero), Balloon (Bubbaleone), Haunter (Frightgeist), Pounder (Rammstone), Slicer (Thresher), Rocks (Hop Rock), Jelly (Jellyish), Blossom (Vinedrill), Spotty (Flopper), Dunes (Sand Angler)**

**Kord Zane: Bludgeon (Rammstone), Sploder (Hop Rock), Jolt (Tazerling), Trip (Polero), Flycatcher (Arachnet), Floatie (Bubbaleone), Iceberg (Frostcrawler), Scorch (Flaringo), Jetstream (AquaBeek), Spitz (Lariat), Chuckles (Gazzer), Floppy (Flopper), Pincer (Armashelt)**

**Pronto Geronimo: Stinky (Flatulorhinkus), Slimey (Jellyish), Soapy (Bubbaleone), Bruiser (Rammstone), Flame (Flaringo), Loogie (Lariat), Windy (Tormato), Squeaky (Flopper), Blocky (Hop Rock)**

**Vance Volt: Blast (Hop Rock), Bloom (Vinedrill), Crust (Lavalynx), Legs (Arachnet), Swimy (AquaBeek), Hardcase (Armashelt), Squish (Jellyish), Blow (Tormato), Cheep (Flopper), Punch (Rammstone)**

**Mario Bravado: Ricochet (Speedstinger), Slide (Frostcrawler), Crawler (Arachnet), Echo (AquaBeek), Mess (Jellyish), Breeze (Tormato), Kate (Flopper), Porky (Dirt Urchin), Dunk (Rammstone)**

**Lash: Zing (Tazerling), Speedy (Speedstinger), Hopper (Hop Rock), Bubba (Bubbaleone), Stinx (Flatulorhinkus), String (Polero), Goat (Rammstone), Sleepy (Slyren), Webber (Arachnet), Ice (Frostcrawler), Spark (Flaringo), Winger (Tormato), Witch (Hexlet), Phlegm (Lariat), Peep (Flopper)**

**Shimei: Mong (Hop Rock)**


	23. A Mother's Return

**Here we go, ladies and gentlemen, fellow fanfiction readers and writers of all. Eliza Shane is about to make her return.**

_Chapter 23: A Mother's Return_

Back on the surface, Eliza Shane's life was getting nowhere. After her sons, Eli and Harley, left to succeed their father's work as the Shanes, her life had hit quite the number of tragedies. Her parents recently passed away from a very ill sickness most elderly folk get when they reach the certain age. She attended the funeral during a sad, rainy day. The next day, her workplace got a huge upgrade, causing her and 10 of her workmates to lose their jobs. Due to everything that's happened, she was super worried, fearing that bankruptcy or eviction would soon follow next.

The next day, the day that was to be her and Will's wedding anniversary, she tried taking her mind off things by cleaning up the house, looking for things that she wanted to sell. While taking a break, she sat on the couch to think with her head in her hands. "What to do, what to do, what to do?" She chanted. As she got up, she heard the floor creak from beneath her feet. She knelt down and pulled the carpet back, discovering a secret compartment She opened the compartment. It contained a Shane container. On it was a letter. She opened the letter and started to read it.

"_Dear Eliza, now I'm sure you know of this, but I have fallen protecting Slugterra, and I'm sure our boys have decided to follow in my footsteps. But I had this stowed away just for you. Consider it your anniversary present, should you ever want to make a new start for yourself."_

Eliza then picked up the container and opened it. Inside was a light blue blaster of the same model design as Eli and Harley's with a white Shane mark. She picked it up and examined it as she continued to read the letter.

"_If a new start is what you want, then I think you should take this blaster and rejoin our sons in Slugterra, to help them protect the peace. Whatever you decide, remember that you were a wonderful wife. I love you, Eliza. Now and forever. Will."_

Eliza teared up at reading that last part. "I love you too, my dear Will, until death reunites us." She sobbed. She sniffled and took up her blaster. "Looks like it's time for me to join my sons." She placed her house up for sale and sent all of her household items to storage. She bought a parachute and 3 very long coils of rope. She then made her way to the sewers, looking for the doorway to the drop. And she found it. Since Eli and Harley already used it, she tied the ropes together and tied the one end to an iron rod and tossed the other end down the hole. She then started to climb down the rope. Halfway down the Drop, she started to hear something tearing. She looked up to see. The rope was started to break. "Oh darn." She muttered, before it finally broke, sending her falling down the tunnel, screaming into the dark.

* * *

**(Intro) (Shane Gang updated with Shimei)**

* * *

Eliza continued to fall down the rest of The Drop. Then she saw a light at the bottom. The end of the tunnel. She fell through, falling towards the ground. Lucky thing she brought a parachute. She pulled the cord and opened the chute. As she slowly descended, she took a good long look around. "So, this is Slugterra? It's even more beautiful than how Will described it." She said. Not long after, she finally reached the ground. She dropped the parachute and stood up. "Okay, now where would my sons be hiding out?" She asked herself. Suddenly, there was some chittering coming from her feet. She looked down and saw 3 slugs. A Phosphoro, a Flaringo and a Jellyish. "Well, hello there, little ones." She said, kneeling down to the slugs. She held out her arm and the slugs hopped on. Just then, she heard explosions nearby. "Come on little ones. I wanna see what's going on." She said, putting the slugs on her shoulder and heading towards the action. She hid behind a big mushroom as she looked to see what caused those explosions.

Eli, Harley and their whole gang was engaged in a duel with Locke, Load, Jon Bull, Shockwire and the Power Trips, as well as 7 other Blakk guards. Load fired a Hop Jack ghoul towards the cover Trixie and Lash were covering behind. Trixie retaliated by slinging Balloon, grabbing the ghoul in her tentacles and throwing it back in between Load's legs. Bull fired a Grimmstone, coming at Trixie and nearly punching her lights out. Luckily, Trixie jumped aside, but slipped in some mud, losing her blaster. She looked up and saw Bull towering over her. Just then, Shimei hopped onto a rock, split in her blaster staff into 2 and took aim at Bull. She slung her Rammstone, Jin, then Mong. Jin punched Bull, spinning him like a top, then Mong blew him away with an explosion. "Let's give them a real shock!" Shockwire said, firing 3 Amperlings at once. "Denied, you ghoul slinging scum!" Pronto said, firing his Frostcrawler, Freezie, creating an ice wall that bounced the ghouls back at Shockwire. But Shockwire jumped out of the way, and the ghouls hit a few of the guards instead, knocking them out. "Ha-ha! Now that was shocking!" Pronto joked. "Keep firing! We don't stop until we take their hideout!" Locke called, firing a Hop Jack. The other guards also fired their loaded ghouls. "Hold fast! We can't let them take the hideout!" Eli said, getting pushed back by the slung ghouls.

Eliza watched as her beloved sons were about to lose this fight. "I have to get in there." She said. She took a slug barrel from the belt that came with her blaster. Then she looked at her 3 little slug friends. "So, who wants to go first?" She asked.

Meanwhile, Blakk's goons had the Shane Gang backed into a corner. "Time to say bye-bye, Shane Gang." Locke said, taking aim at Eli. Suddenly, a Phosphoro zipped in front of the goons and blinded them with Flashbang. "Argh! What in tarnation was that?!" Locke asked. "HEY!" Everyone looked over to the mushroom. There stood Eliza, loading her Jellyish and taking aim. "You leave my sons and their friends ALONE!" She shouted, slinging her slug, covering Locke's face with Loogi. That made Load laugh. That is until Eliza slung her Flaringo at Load's pants, setting them on fire. "Fall back! Retreat!" Locke yelled. "Yeah! Run away!" Load yelled. The goons turned on their tails and ran off.

When the goons were gone, Eli and Harley looked in shock and surprise at the very person they never expected to see again. "Mom? Is it really you?" Eli asked. "Please tell me I'm not dreaming!" Harley begged. Eliza looked at her sons with a tearful smile. "It's me, my sons." She said, holding her arms open. Eli and Harley ran into them, and all 3 gave a tight family hug, letting their tears fall. "Wait. That's their mother?!" Trixie asked in shock. "That means she is Will Shane's wife!" Pronto said. "Well, this is a surprise." Kord said. The others just nodded in agreement. Soon enough, the 3 Shanes pulled out of their hug. Burpy then hopped onto Eliza's shoulder and nuzzled her cheek. "Aw, I missed you too, Burpy." Eliza said, tickling Burpy's tummy. "So, what are you doing down here, Mom?" Harley asked. "I actually came down here to join you boys." Eliza said. Eli and Harley were wide-eyed. "Long story. I'll tell you about it later." Eliza said. Just then, she noticed the rest of the gang. "So, who're your friends?" She asked. "Mom, this is our gang, the Shane Gang. Gang, this is our mother, Eliza." Eli introduced. Suddenly, Pronto zipped up to Eliza, taking her hand in his. "Well, hello mother of Eli and Harley. I am Pronto Geronimo, molenoid expert at everything and the best member of this gang." He said, introducing himself. He then tried to kiss the hand, but Eliza pulled it away and slapped Pronto so hard, he went spinning into the dirt. "Pleasured to meet you, Pronto, but never try to do that again." She said politely. "No problem, Mrs. Shane." Pronto said in a dizzy state. Harley snickered at the sight.

The others walked up to Eliza. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Shane. I'm Kord Zane." Kod said, holding out his hand. Eliza shook it. "You're a cave troll, aren't you?" She asked. Kord nodded. "I've only seen pictures of your kind. Never thought I'd actually meet one in person." Eliza said. Kord blushed at this compliment. "Aw shucks, folks. I'm speechless." He said. The others soon shook hands with Eliza and introduced themselves. "Vance Volt, Slug Run racer, at your service." Vance said. "I'm Mario. Mario Bravado, the greatest trick-shooter in Slugterra." Mario said. "I'm Lash." Lash said. "And I am Shimei." Shimei said with a bow. Eliza stared at Shimei for a second. "You're the granddaughter of the Unbeatable Master, aren't you?" She asked. "How'd you know?" Shimei asked. "Will told me about her, how she trained him." Eliza explained. Shimei then put on a very sad look. Eliza knew this look all too well. "Your grandmother's gone, isn't she?" She asked. Shimei nodded sadly. Eliza put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "You can tell me about it later if you want to." She said. Shimei smiled. "Thank you, Mrs. Shane." She said, bowing. Eliza bowed back with respect.

Finally, Eliza turned to Trixie. "I'm Trixie. It's very nice to meet you ma'am." Trixie said, shaking Eliza's hand. "Pleasure's mine, Trixie." Eliza said. "Oh my gosh, you are beautiful!" She said, getting a good look at Trixie. She then looked back at Eli. She started to get the idea. "You and Eli have a thing, don't you?" She asked. "Well, it's not just a thing, Mrs. Shane." Trixie said, holding up the ring around her neck. Eliza gasped happily. "My engagement ring!" She said, tearing up. "Yes. Eli and I are promised to be engaged." Trixie said. Eliza suddenly brought Trixie into a big hug. "I know you'll be a perfect wife to Eli as I was to Will." She said tearfully. Trixie hugged her back.

Back at Blakk's fortress, Locke and Load gave Dr. Blakk the bad news as Jon Bull, Shockwire and the Power Trips knelt down in fear. "The Shane Gang defeated you AGAIN?!" Blakk asked in an outrage. "No sir. We had them cornered. It was some strange woman who defeated us." Locke explained. "One woman beat all of you?!" Blakk asked. "Well, she didn't seem like any ordinary woman, Dr. Blakk." Jon Bull said. "Yeah. She said that Eli and Harley were her sons. I think." Load said. Blakk put this info to thought. "If this woman is the mother of the Shane boys, then I need to see for myself." He said, standing up. "Prepare to move out. We are gonna draw the Shane Gang to us." He ordered. "Yes sir!" The goons said.

* * *

Afterwards, Eli and Harley showed Eliza their hideout, and introduced her to Wormy, Rath and the lava bats. "Wow! I got to say, this place is way nicer than our old home." Eliza said. "So, Mom, where'd you get that blaster?" Harley asked, gesturing to his mother's blaster. "Your father left it for me as an anniversary gift." Eliza said. She showed her sons the note that came with it. "You see, after you boys left, things back home have been rather sad for me. My parents passed away." That brought great pain to Eli and Harley's hearts. "No. Grandma. Grandpa." Eli sniffled. Harley took a tissue and blew his nose. "After that, I lost my job. The company I worked at got a huge upgrade and caused me and 10 of my friends to lose their jobs." Now everyone was on the verge of crying. Even the slugs and the pets. "After that, I feared that eviction or bankruptcy would next. So, while I was cleaning to get my mind off everything, I discovered this blaster and this note from your father. So, I put the house up for sale, placed our things in storage, and decided to rejoin my beloved sons here in Slugterra." Eliza finished. "But how'd you get down here to begin with?" Harley asked. "Yeah, Harley and I already used the Drop when we left." Eli said. "Well, I bought some very long coils of ropes and tied it to an iron rod and climbed down them. Unfortunately, the ropes broke as I was halfway down the Drop. Luckily, I also bought a parachute. I released the chute just as I exited the tunnel, and here I am." Eliza said. "Well, we're glad you're here, Mom." Eli said. "Yeah. We really missed you." Harley agreed. Eliza was about to tear up again, smiling big at her sons. "I've really missed you boys too." She said, bringing Eli and Harley into another big hug.

But just then, they received a call on their computer. Trixie hurried over and answered it. "Trixie Sting here. Who's calling?" She asked. On screen appeared Mario's girlfriend, Katy. "Katy?" Eli said. "Shane Gang! Bad news! Dr. Blakk and his goons are attacking our cavern! Please hurry! They're probably about to attack our pizza place!" Katy said. Suddenly, an explosion came from behind her, causing the screen to turn to static and end the call. "Babe!" Mario called with worry. Eli came up and patted his shoulder. "Don't worry, Mario. Dr. Blakk is not gonna get away with this." Eli said. "Shane Gang, saddle up!" Everyone headed for the garage to saddle their mecha beasts. Eli turned to his mother. "What about you, Mom? You want in on this mission?" He asked. Eliza started to think, just as her 3 slugs hopped to her shoulders. She looked at them, and they nodded. She then turned back to Eli. "We're in." She said.

* * *

The gang rode right into the town. Eliza rode on Lucky's back with Eli. Blakk's goons turned to face them just as they were destroying the town. "The Shane Gang! Blast them!" Locke ordered, firing his loaded ghoul. The others soon joined in, firing their ghouls. The gang dismounted their mechas and charged into the fight. Trixie slid to the ground, firing her Tazerling from Club Slug, now named Zaps. She shocked 3 soldiers with Tazerbolt. The 2 male Trips backed Pronto into a corner. Just as they were about to fire, Kord came up behind them and knocked them out. "You owe me one." He said. Just then, Pronto saw the female Trip aim at Kord. "Eat my stink!" Pronto shouted, firing Stinky and hitting the girl with Blorfball, who then passed out from the smell. "Okay, now we're even." Kord said.

Lash took position on a rooftop. He saw a couple of goons coming in on jackal mechas. He slung String, tripping the mechas and sending the goons flying. Then Lash fired Bubba, bouncing the goons right into a window. Jon Bull cornered Shimei. "You think you have any of the skills your granny ever had? You're just as weak as she was!" Bull said. "Oh, is that right?" Shimei asked with a sly smile, splitting her blaster staff in 2. Bull slung a Grimmstone, but Shimei swatted it aside and started smacking Bull with her staffs. When she stopped, Bull's whole body was twitching from the pain. Shimei gave a small push and knocked Bull out. "That's what you get for insulting my strength." She said, firing Mong at a goon trying to slug her from behind.

Eliza watched as her sons and their friends fought the goons. "So, you're the mother of Eli and Harley Shane." A voice guessed from behind her. She turned to see Dr. Blakk on his personal mecha. "I have to say, Will Shane had an excellent taste in women." She aimed her blaster shakingly at him. "You! You're him, aren't you? You're Dr. Blakk!" She guessed. "That's right." Blakk said, getting off his mecha. "You stay back! I will shoot the man who destroyed my husband!" Eliza warned. "But why would you fire upon me for a man who never loved you?" Blakk asked. That made Eliza confused. "All Will Shane ever cared for was being the Shane. The soul protector of all Slugterra. Why do you think he wanted his sons to take his place? He just used you to conceive his heirs." Eliza put all this to thought. "But me, I see a woman who has great potential. Great beauty. Join me, and I will give you all the love you never had." Blakk offered, holding out his hand. Eliza felt torn. Should she trust this man?

* * *

"Mom! NO!" Eli yelled as he struggled with another goon. Eliza looked back at her sons and their friends. "Well, what do you say?" Blakk asked. Eliza squeezed her eyes. "I say-" She aimed her blaster at Blakk's face. "-eat a Flaringo, Blakk!" She yelled, firing her Flaringo and slightly scorching Blakk's face. Blakk growled as he wiped his face. "You can't swoon me that easy with your lies, Blakk. It's true that Will loved his work with defending Slugterra, but he loved me just as much. He was also willing to one day retire from his days as the Shane to spend the rest of his life with me." Eliza said, nearing tears through her anger. "So, go! Leave! Don't ever come after me or my sons again!" Blakk growled as he stood up. "Fine! But you haven't seen the last of me, Shane." He said, getting back on his mecha. "Fall back! This cavern means nothing to me anyway." He ordered. The goons seemed confused, but did as Blakk ordered.

As soon as Blakk and his goons left, the people started to come back out. Even Katy came out from the pizza shop and embraced Mario. Eli and Harley walked over to Eliza, now sobbing right out of the box. The 3 embraced very tightly as the gang looked on. "I'm sorry, boys. He tried to swoon me. I nearly believed him." She sniffed. "It's okay, Mom. You saw through him." Eli said. "Dad would be very proud of you." Harley said. Eliza sobbed softly as she hugged her sons even tighter.

Back at the hideout, everyone settled for dinner. As everyone started to dig in, Eli decided to ask. "So, now that you're practically stuck down here, what do think about joining our team, Mom?" He asked. That nearly caused everyone to choke on their food and spit take their drinks. "Are you sure about this, bro?" Kord asked. "I mean, your mother is still new down here. Plus, she only has 3 slugs. Slugs she only met upon arrival." Eliza looked at her slugs, who were hanging out with Burpy, Joules, Yang and Doc. She knew Kord was right, but she decided against it. "I think being a part of this team is a good idea." She said. Everyone looked right at her with shocked expressions. "I may be new here, but we Shanes always stay together, no matter what." She said, wrapping her arms around Eli and Harley. "Plus, with all these slugs and pets you have, this place could use a mother's delicate cleaning touch." "I hear that." Harley said. Everyone just laughed at this comment. "Then it's decided. Welcome to the team, Mom. You'll make us proud." Eli said. Eliza smiled.

At Blakk's fortress, Blakk was more furious than ever. He swatted several items off his desk. "That woman is just as insolent as her husband and sons!" He yelled. But then he took a few deep breaths to try and calm down. "No matter. Soon she will suffer the same fate as her husband. As all Shanes will." He said, looking to the few containers of Dark Water he had left.

**WOW! Wasn't that amazing? Eliza Shane has made her return! She lost her happiness on the surface, but has regained it in Slugterra. What new adventures will soon await our Shane Gang? Leave a review if you'd like.**

**Author's note: Shimei's fighting style from the last chapter and here, I based the idea on Donnie Yen's scenes from Rogue One.**

**Slug Arsenal:**

**Eli Shane: Burpy (Infurnus), Joules (Tazerling), Noodle (Flopper), Banger (Armashelt), Bolo (Polero), Rammer (Rammstone), Rocky (Hop Rock), Chiller (Frostcrawler), Burner (Lavalynx), Suds (Bubbaleone), Goober (Jellyish), Sparky (Grenuke), Doc (Boon Doc), Larry (Lariat), Gust (Tormato), Buzzsaw (Thresher), Digger (Crystalid), Spinner (Arachnet), Mucky (Dirt Urchin), Tangles (Vinedrill), Spooker (Frightgeist), Charger (Fandango), Stunts (Speedstinger), Glimmer (Phosphoro), Mo (Enigmo), Dazer (Hypnogriff), Urchin (Sand Angler), Dozer (Slyren), Jinxer (Hexlet), Torch (Forgesmeltor), Yang (Negashade)**

**Harley Shane: Matchstick (Flaringo), Squirm (Flopper), Frostbite (Frostcrawler), Webs (Arachnet), Gels (Jellyish), Zipper (Hoverbug), Ivy (Vinedrill), Masher (Rammstone), Frights (Frightgeist), Shredder (Thresher), Smelly (Flatulorhinkus), Claws (Armashelt), Splatz (Lariat), Twister (Tormato), Lucky (Hexlet), Sizzle (Grenuke), Quill (Dirt Urchin), Ping (White Boon Doc)**

**Trixie Sting: Bluster (Tormato), Blizzard (Frostcrawler), Spider (Arachnet), Twirl (Polero), Balloon (Bubbaleone), Haunter (Frightgeist), Pounder (Rammstone), Slicer (Thresher), Rocks (Hop Rock), Jelly (Jellyish), Blossom (Vinedrill), Spotty (Flopper), Dunes (Sand Angler), Zaps (Tazerling)**

**Kord Zane: Bludgeon (Rammstone), Sploder (Hop Rock), Jolt (Tazerling), Trip (Polero), Flycatcher (Arachnet), Floatie (Bubbaleone), Iceberg (Frostcrawler), Scorch (Flaringo), Jetstream (AquaBeek), Spitz (Lariat), Chuckles (Gazzer), Floppy (Flopper), Pincer (Armashelt)**

**Pronto Geronimo: Stinky (Flatulorhinkus), Slimey (Jellyish), Soapy (Bubbaleone), Bruiser (Rammstone), Flame (Flaringo), Loogie (Lariat), Windy (Tormato), Squeaky (Flopper), Blocky (Hop Rock), Freezie (Frostcrawler)**

**Vance Volt: Blast (Hop Rock), Bloom (Vinedrill), Crust (Lavalynx), Legs (Arachnet), Swimmy (AquaBeek), Hardcase (Aramashelt), Squish (Jellyish), Blow (Tormato), Cheep (Flopper), Punch (Rammstone)**

**Mario Bravado: Ricochet (Speedstinger), Slide (Frostcrawler), Crawler (Arachnet), Echo (AquaBeek), Mess (Jellyish), Breeze (Tormato), Kate (Flopper), Porky (Dirt Urchin), Dunk (Rammstone)**

**Lash: Zing (Tazerling), Speedy (Speedstinger), Hopper (Hop Rock), Bubba (Bubbaleone), Stinx (Flatulorhinkus), String (Polero), Goat (Rammstone), Sleepy (Slyren), Webber (Arachnet), Ice (Frostcrawler), Spark (Flaringo), Winger (Tormato), Witch (Hexlet), Phlegm (Lariat), Peep (Flopper)**

**Shimei: Mong (Hop Rock), Jin (Rammstone)**

**Eliza Shane: Ellie (Flaringo), Min (Jellyish), Tink (Phosphoro)**


	24. Deep Water, Dark Water

**Sorry for any delay. I was up in Manitoulin for a couple weeks. So, no Wi-Fi. I'm now at my Dad's place in Strathmore until the first or fourth of September. So, here's the 24****th**** chapter for my version of Slugterra.**

_Chapter 24: Deep Water, Dark Water._

The Shane Gang were chasing one of Blakk's convoys, firing their Hop Rocks as they exited a tunnel. "Now we can see what we're chasing." Eli said as he picked up Rocky. "Which is?" Trixie asked. The convoy was carrying a big drill of some sort. "Kord, any ideas?" Harley asked. "I've never seen anything like it. But since Blakk's moving it, my technical analysis would be big machine that does bad stuff." Kord said, firing Bludgeon. "Not very big words for a technical analysis." Shimei pointed out. "Don't sweat it. He was just dumbing it down a bit for us." Mario said.

Bludgeon transformed, knocked down a Hop Rock and a Vinedrill, and knocked a guard off the transport. The gang hopped over the guard and continued their pursuit. Another guard fired another Hop Rock. Trixie fired Jelly, knocking the poor slug down with Loogi. The guard reloaded his blaster and fired a Polero towards Vance. Vance jumped his mecha beast high up, dodging the slug, and fired Blast, knocking the guard off the transport. Eliza came in, riding her new white stag mecha beast. She leaped up and fired her new Bubbaleone, Pimpy, deflecting another Hop Rock and Rammstone back at the guards, knocking them off.

"You guys really didn't bring your a-game, did you?" Eli asked as they closed in. Another goon fired a Vinedrill. Eli slung Joules, knocking the slug down and latching onto the cart, shocking the last 2 goons. The Vinedrill bounced off Lucky and dropped to the ground. "Hey wait. These guys aren't using any ghouls." Eli said with realization. Everyone was shocked at hearing this. "Why would Blakk be skipping on the ghouls?" Eli asked himself.

"Eli! Up ahead!" Harley called. Eli looked ahead, gasping at where they just entered. "Undertow Cavern?" Kord asked. "I didn't know it had a land-based entrance." Trixie said. "Well, all that matters is they're running out of land." Eli said, thinking that they had the transport trapped. "You got nowhere to run! You guys ready to surrender now?" Just then, a siren started blaring on the transport. The driver put on an air helmet and buckled in. The transport then drove off the edge of the cliff. The tires then changed into submarine turbines as it hit the water. The gang stopped in their tracks as they watched the bubbles in the water disappear. "I hate to say it, but that was kind of awesome." Eli admitted. "Yep. Leave it to Dr. Blakk to upgrade his vehicles for underwater travel." Harley said.

"So, what do we do now?" Kord asked. "You put your hands up, princesses." A familiar voice said. Eli turned to see that he was held at blaster point by their old enemy, Captain Mavolio Drake.

* * *

**(Intro (Shane Gang updated with Eliza Shane)**

* * *

"You have some brash showing your faces again in my cavern." Drake said. "And I see you lot have grown larger since last time." "Harley, do you know this guy?" Lash asked. "Unfortunately, yes. The last time we were here, he forced us into servitude. Had me stuck giving him a pedicure." Harley said, shuddering at the memory of filing Drake's smelly amphibious toes. Drake then noticed Trixie reaching for her blaster. "I wouldn't do that." He threatened. Trixie drew her hand back. "We're only here because your letting Blakk transport…stuff through the cavern sea." She said. "Huh! You think I'm working _with_ Blakk? Oh, that's rich. Thanks to him, I'm not working with anyone. Not even my own crew!" Drake said. "Right." Eli said sarcastically. "Stay alert guys. They're probably gonna jump out any second." "No! This is no trick. My men have been snatched away!" Drake said. "By Blakk?" Eli asked. "By Brutale!" Drake corrected. "A scurvy rat Blakk hired to build a deep-water drill at the bottom of my cavern sea. Course, Brutale needed some underwater breathers to help him do that. So, the treacherous savage captured me crew." "But why would Blakk-" Eli started to ask until he realized. "Dark Water!" "He's looking to hit paydirt by drilling into the Deep Caverns!" Drake said. "That's why he's limiting the use of ghouls. He doesn't have enough Dark Water left to create new ones." Eli said.

"Well now, _you _want to stop that rig, and _I_ want to crush Brutale. A-And free my crew. What say we help each other out, eh? That's what you Shanes do right? Help people?" Drake offered. "People? Yes. Pirates? Not so much." Harley said. "Yeah. Like we would ever-" Trixie started to say, until she saw a familiar look on Eli's face. "Tell me you aren't buying this, babe." "I know we can't trust Drake, but if we stop Blakk from getting more Dark Water, we might be able to put him out of business." Eli said. "We've got no choice." Harley said as he and the others dismounted their mechas. "So, we got a deal?" Drake asked, holding out his hand. "Deal." Eli said, shaking it. "In that case, I hope you know what you're signing up for. Because to do this, you're gonna have to follow me all the way to the bottom." Drake said, leading the gang to the cliff as the remains of his wrecked ship came into view. "In that?" Kord asked. "Of course not! You're gonna use what's inside her." Drake corrected.

"I see your ship is just the way we left it." Eli gloated as they entered the cargo bay. "You got lucky in your first battle at sea! Now hop to and fetch me those, princess." Drake ordered, pointing to a bag of supplies. Eli glared and walked over to Drake. "Let's get something straight here. I'm not your servant or your princess." He said. "Oh my. Is the leader of the Shane Gang too important to fetch a little tiny sack?" Drake asked mockingly. "How 'bout you then, mole-face? Hop to like old times, eh?" He said to Pronto. "After the way you treated me and Harley when we were your cabin boy and cabin mole? Never!" Pronto immediately rejected. "Now, if perhaps you were offer me a promotion. Say to first-mate or-" Eli face-palmed himself. "Dude, are you seriously trying to bargain with the pirate who had me stuck giving him a pedicure?!" Harley asked in disbelief. "Why don't we each grab our own, huh?" Eli suggested. "What do you say, Burpy? You guys ready to get wet?" He asked. Burpy chittered excitedly. Eli then walked over to Drake's supplies. "So, how does this stuff work?" He asked, examining a helmet and a metal shell.

Later, Drake dived into the water, followed by the gang, now wearing dive-suits. Everyone looked around as they swam deeper into the sea. Different varieties of sea creatures swam about in the sea. Kord, being water-phobic, was feeling nervous. "These dive-suits will provide you gilless landlubbers with an air supply, and help you move through the water." Drake explained as they swam. Eli pressed a button on his wrist, activating his suit's turbo jets. "Sweet." He said, jetting around some jellyfish. "You'll need it to keep up with me and me Mimkey down here. Just remember to keep an eye on your air gauge." Drake instructed. Eli pushed another button, activating his air gauge. He had a full tank. "If you run out in the deep blue, it's 'imitating person gasping for air!" This was now making Kord more nervous. "W-W-We get it! We get it!" He said, switching on his gauge. Just then, the rest of the gang jetted around him, having fun with their suit's turbo jets.

As they continued, Eli caught sight of some AquaBeeks peeking out from their water reed homes. "Hey, those guys look just like you, Beeker." He said as his own AquaBeek, Beeker, popped out of his barrel and swam over to them. He greeted one of them with a head nuzzle and looked at the others, who suddenly shied back into their reeds. Beeker seemed confused. "Aw. Shy little guys." Trixie said as Eli bumped into Drake. "Not shy. Smart." Drake said, pointing up. A couple of cavern sharks were circling over them. The gang looked around as more swam into view. "Maybe if we stay still, they'll go away." Pronto said with fear. "Yeah. And maybe a barnacle will dance a jig for ya." Drake said with sarcasm. Just then, everyone's eyes went wide. There was a shark swimming right behind Pronto! Pronto screamed and jetted to the group before the shark could eat him. "Arm yourselves!" Drake called. Eli loaded Joules and slung her at the shark. But she didn't reach velocity. She swam back as the shark tried to eat her. Eli suddenly felt embarrassed. Pronto screamed louder as the gang spread out. "Most slugs aren't gonna reach velocity underwater like that. You got to use a torpedo shell." Drake explained. "Torpedo shell?" Kord asked, holding up a shell, then jetting out of the way of another shark. Drake slung a shell containing a Hop Rock at the shark. "Don't tell me you toe-scrubbers have never used a torpedo shell before." Drake said. "Well, we never saw any reason to!" Lash argued as he jetted away from another shark. Eli jetted upwards as another shark chased after him. "Burpy and I got this." He said, loading Burpy into a torpedo shell. But as Burpy was slung, his fire quickly died out due to being underwater. Burpy screamed and swam back to Eli. Eli jetted away as the shark continued to chase him. "I don't an Infurnus will be any good down here, princess." Drake said.

As the chase continued, Eli saw another shark coming right at him. He jetted upwards, causing the sharks to crash into each other. Eli tried to prepare another torpedo shell. "Ugh! No time for a torpedo shell! Use your AquaBeek!" Drake called, grabbing onto a passing shark and punching it. Eli loaded Beeker's barrel and slung him. Beeker transformed and blasted his Seawee at the sharks, scaring them away. The other AquaBeeks chittered cheers as Beeker transformed back and swam back to Eli. "He doesn't need a torpedo shell?" Eli asked. "You have a lot to learn about slinging slugs underwater, princess." Drake said as he continued his assault on his shark. Burpy chittered and pointed towards the others. Eli saw that they were having trouble and jetted towards them.

Trixie tried to sling her slugs at the sharks, but the kick from the blast was pushing her backwards in the water. "This is a lot harder than it looks!" Vance said as he slung Legs, webbing the shark's mouth shut. Kord was still a little nervous, but he drew his blaster as slung Bludgeon from a torpedo shell, punching another shark in the face. Kord and Trixie bumped back-to-back. "Kord, I thought you hated the water. How are you-" Trixie started to ask. "Fighting helps me forget I'm swimming." Kord said, firing Trip at 2 more sharks. But Trip went right in between the sharks. He glared as he transformed back. "But you just reminded me. Thanks." Kord said. Trixie smile sheepishly. Just then, they screamed as the sharks started to swim towards them. Luckily, Eli fired Chiller and froze the sharks with Deepfreeze.

"Alright guys. Circle up and cover each other from all sides." Eli said as the gang regrouped. The gang went back-to-back, blasters ready as 4 more sharks circled them. "What're you doing, you cowering cods?!" Drake asked as he swam towards them. "You'll never beat these things as a scaredy ball! Now break up and spread out!" He barked. "Stop giving us orders! You're not our captain and we're not your crew." Eli said. "You couldn't even handle a cavern shark without me!" Drake said, lightly pushing Eli. "So, unless you and your chums want to _be_ chum-" Suddenly, a loud noise scared the sharks away. "Come on guys!" Eli said. "What was that?" Trixie asked as they swam into a cave. "Who cares if it got rid of the sharks?" Kord asked. "You do realize that if the sharks are scared of it, then it has to be scarier than the sharks." Pronto said with fear. "Well, he's not wrong there." Harley admitted as he and Eli sped ahead.

The gang came up to a cliff and peeked over the edge. They saw a huge tower with the drill from before connected, drilling downwards and crawling with Blakk goons. "That's the huge machine we were chasing." Eli said. "Only now it's part of an even huger machine." Kord said. "What is that?!" "That's the drill. Looks like they haven't hit Dark Water yet." Drake said. "Well, that's good news." Mario said. "And who's that?" Kord said, pointing to a light blue amphibanoid in the tower's control room. "Let me guess. That's Brutale." Eli guessed. "Aye. That's my brother." Drake revealed. Everyone gasped from hearing this.

"Your brother?!" Eli asked. "You and Brutale are brothers?!" Harley asked. "Yes! I know it's hard to tell because I'm so much better looking." Drake said. "Even though they're both frog-faced." Harley muttered, making Vance and Lash snicker. Suddenly, someone was heard shouting. "I think he spotted us." Kord said. Brutale was swimming towards them! "Take the tower!" Eli called. "Smash my brother in the face!" Drake ordered. Brutale slung a Hop Rock at the cliff and rammed into Drake. Eli looked down, seeing that Blakk's goons were joining the fight. Eli jetted down and took cover behind a rock as 2 goons swam up. Burpy chittered. "You want another shot?" Eli asked. Burpy nodded. "Okay buddy." Eli said, loading Burpy into a torpedo shell and firing him. Burpy transformed, but still couldn't conjure any fire. Burpy transformed back and bumped into a goon's chest. The goon just flicked poor Burpy aside. "Uh oh." Eli said as the goons fired at his cover. "Home turf hero! Help me out!" He said, taking Beeker's barrel. As 2 more slugs hit the rock, Eli slung Beeker, blinding the goons with Inksting.

"You took my crew!" Drake said, kicking Brutale. "You started this years ago, when you stole from your own blood!" Brutale said. "That's a load of bilge!" Drake yelled, firing a Rammstone. Brutale dodged and fired a Hop Rock. "I never stole from you! The Drakes have never stolen from family, until you took my crew!" Drake said, firing another slug. He then chased Brutale up to the tower. "It ain't stealing when you offer more gold, and they decide to take it." Brutale stated as Drake's former crew came out from hiding. "He pays much more for our loyalty then you ever did." Watts said, making the others laugh. "You treacherous leech lickers!" Drake screamed, firing a Hop Rock in the middle of the crew.

The Shane Gang saw what was happening from afar. "Anyone else get the feeling that there's actually no one to save here?" Eli asked. Everyone nodded. "Well, that's a pirate's life for ya." Harley said. Suddenly, a goon came up from behind Trixie and grabbed her. "No, you don't!" Kord said, grabbing the goon, punching him and triggering his turbo jets. "I think you're starting to like it down here." Trixie said. That made Kord cringe. "Will you stop reminding me where we are?!" He asked with a snap.

Eli looked at the rig and eyed some high ground. "There! Quick, now's our chance!" He said. "Follow me! To Brutale!" Drake called. "No! We're heading for the high ground to take out the rig!" Eli said. "Oh, no you're not princess! You're gonna listen to me!" Drake argued. "Let's go!" Eli said, jetting up for the high ground. The rest of the gang followed. Drake just growled and followed. As they turned a corner, 2 goons and 2 pirates fired a Vinedrill, a Hop Rock, a Polero and a Rammstone. Just then, Drake zipped in front and slung Mimkey. Mimkey mimicked the Vinedrill's transformation, grabbed the slugs with his tentacles and threw them back at their slingers. "Drake's good." Eli admitted. "He's real good." Harley added. 4 more goons were jetting towards them. "This way! Quickly! That is if you don't mind taking orders from _me!_" Drake said. He led the gang into a small cave and blocked the entrance as the goons swam by.

* * *

"You know nothing of the perils of the deep! Yet you continue to endanger your crew by defying my orders!" Drake scolded. "Thank you for your concern, but when _this_ crew has an issue, we will take it up with _our_ captain! Which is not you, good sir!" Pronto said. "And while we're on the subject of crews, yours wasn't captured! They left you!" Trixie said. "This is all some sibling rivalry thing with Brutale! You lied to us! About everything!" "Well, of course I lied! I'm a PIRATE!" Drake shouted. The gang groaned. "Dude, you really need to come up with a better excuse than that." Mario muttered. "But I was telling the truth about wanting to get my brother." Drake admitted. "I need you to get what I want, and you need me to get what you want. So, if we can work together-" "Dude, we already tried that and we ended up here." Kord said. "Because I didn't listen to him." Eli said. "Because we can't trust him." Kord said. "Kord is right. One can never trust someone filled with lies and deceit." Shimei said. "I know. But we're out of our element down here. And this is our shot at really hitting Blakk where it counts." Eli said. "I know working with Drake is a huge risk, but he's got skills we need. I think it's worth it" The others felt unsure about this. "Heh. Real predicament you lot got there. I'd be happy to chat about it all day, but you can't." Drake said. Eli looked at his air gauge. He was already down 2 bars. "We're with you, Eli." Trixie said. "Always." Pronto added. "Good choice. Because I have a fantastic plan." Drake said. Eli glared. "Don't smile, princess. You'll like this one. It involves us splitting up." Drake said.

Eli, Trixie, Kord, Vance, Mario, Lash, Shimei and Eliza hid by some rocks, investigating the side of the rig. "Kord?" Eli asked. "There." Kord said, pointing to a vent. "If we can get that vent open and fire some sploders in there, that should bring the rig down." "But first, we have to take out Blakk's henchmen, which shouldn't be impossible, _if_ Drake does his part and handles his brother and the pirates." Eli said. "Well, at least we have an insurance policy to make sure he does." Trixie said. "Yeah, not sure if Pronto was a good choice." Vance said. "I know. Why else do you think I also sent Harley too?" Eli asked.

Drake, Harley and Pronto were positioned near the entrance to the bridge. Pronto was holding a nasty looking eel. "Why does Pronto have to hold this thing?" He asked in disgust. "Because I'm a captain! And you're the first mate." Drake said, patting Pronto's head. "And I-" Pronto gasped. "You did promote me!" He said with heavenly glee. "Don't be too excited. You're still one step under Kord and Mario in my book." Harley said. Pronto just glared disappointedly. "Now, release that thing, mole-face!" Drake said. Pronto tossed the eel towards the entrance. The eel swam behind the one guard. Startled, the guard looked to his right, staring into the face of the eel. He got so scared, he swam backwards to get away. But then he turned to see Drake raising his fist and punching him, knocking him out.

As Drake, Harley and Pronto entered, Drake closed the door and drained the water from the room. They peaked around a corner, seeing 2 pirates guarding the door to the bridge. "How do we get past these guys?" Harley asked. Drake took out a small coin and tossed it in between the pirates. The 2 dived for it. The one on the right grabbed it first, but the other one pounced on him. As they fought over the coin, Drake slung a Frostcrawler, freezing them with Deepfreeze. The one pirate, whose hand was still free, dropped the coin. Pronto noticed it as Drake stepped over it. Pronto picked it up and bit down on it. He chuckled as he started to continue. Harley just shook his head. Suddenly, Drake punched Pronto, knocking him out. "Hey!" Harley said, until Drake backhanded him, knocking him out too. "Sorry lads, but this is between me and me brother." Drake said, taking the coin back and continuing. Mimkey looked back at Pronto and Harley, feeling a bit of guilt.

"It's now or never." Eli said drawing his blaster. The group swam out from behind the rocks, blasters at the ready. Eli fired Banger, and Trixie fired her own Armashelt, Roller. The 2 Armashelts rolled into the 2 guards. 3 more came out. Kord swam in and bashed the first one, then swung him at the other 2. The gang then started to brawl with the guards.

Inside the control room, Brutale sensed Drake entering with his blaster aimed at him. "So, have come to beg for forgiveness for stealing from me when we were lads?" He asked, drawing his blaster. "You're gonna kiss my fist with that lying mouth!" Drake shouted. "I never took anything from you!" "Oh, yes you did." Brutale said. "Did not!" Drake argued. The 2 brothers then started to brawl with each other. "Did too!" "Did not!" "You did!" "Did not!"

The gang fired their Hop Rocks at the guards, blasting them away. Trixie then fired Blizzard, freezing the one guard in an ice cube. "Alright Kord, let's get that vent open." Eli said as they swam towards the vent.

Meanwhile, Drake and Brutale were still struggling with each other. "Did too!" Brutale said. "What was it that you think I stole from you?!" Drake asked. "My Mimkey!" Brutale said. "What?! I didn't steal him! You gave him to me for my birthday!" Drake said. "I did?" Brutale asked. The brothers looked at Mimkey standing beside the blasters, who nodded. "You know, you're right. I did." Brutale said, now remembering that he gave Mimkey to Drake for his birthday. "So, now what?" He asked. Drake started to think. "Say brother, how close exactly are you to hitting Dark Water?" He asked. Brutale grinned nastily. Mimkey felt a cold shiver in his spine. He knew what they were planning.

Eli and Kord pulled the vent open. "Let's bring this thing down!" Eli said. "No longer any need for that, princesses!" Drake called. The gang turned and saw Drake, Brutale and the other pirates shoving Harley and Pronto at their feet. Drake slung a Lavalynx, sealing up the vent with a cooled Geyservault. "I wouldn't want to harm that drill now it's so close to hitting Dark Water. And belongs to the brothers Drake!" He revealed. The entire gang was shocked.

"Well, if it's any consolation, I fully intended to stick with our plan. But a better offer came along. That's just how pirates roll. You should've learned that much about us by now." Drake said. "Oh, I have. Which is why I'm offering your crew 10 times their pay to join up with me!" Eli said. "Really?" Watts asked intrigued. "No." Eli said, slinging Rammer into the pirates and brothers. The gang took cover behind some rocks. "Sick 'em, boys!" Brutale barked. "I was gonna say that!" Drake argued. The gang and the pirates slung their slugs back and forth. "That drill could hit Dark Water at any second! And it doesn't look like Drake's in the mood to give us fresh dive suits with more air." Eli said, checking his air gauge. He was down to 3 bars. He fired another slug. "We need to get that vent open now!" "I got just the mod for the job." Kord said, placing a new torch mod on his blaster. "Cover him!" Eli called, firing Rocky towards the pirates. The gang fired more of their slugs as Kord swam over to the vent. He activated the torch and began to cut into the cooled magma.

Eli jetted in and fired Rocky at 3 more pirates, sending them floating away. Harley followed in, slinging Twister and trapping 2 more pirates in a whirlpool. But then, they stopped at the sight of Drake and Brutale. Brutale was about to blast them, but Drake stopped him. "I got this one, brother. Won't be hard. These princesses are hopeless down here without me telling them what to do." Drake assured. "We're pretty fast learners." Eli said, firing Spinner from a torpedo shell. Harley followed by slinging Frights. Drake fired a shark-like slug called a MakoBreaker. It knocked Spinner and Frights aside and fired Razorstorm. The brothers dodged the incoming teeth and swam into a forest of seaweed. Suddenly, the seaweed started to wrap around the brothers, grasping them tightly. "Nice move there, taking cover in grasping seaweed!" Drake mocked, laughing maniacally. Eli and Harley struggled to get free as the seaweed grasped even tighter.

The rest of the gang were almost pinned down as the pirates continued their assault. Eliza quickly noticed that her sons were in trouble. "We have to hurry! Eli and Harley are in trouble!" She called. "Unfortunately, so are we!" Lash called as he fired Goat. As the pirates began to advance, Watts also noticed the Shane brothers trapped in the seaweed. Knowing that it was time for him to change careers, he fired a Hop Rock at a nearby pipe, causing a leak of jetting water.

Burpy noticed the leak and chittered to Eli. "Burpy, I know you wanna help, but your fire doesn't work down here." Eli said. "Eli's right. Fire's useless under the water." Harley agreed. Burpy knew that they were right, but he wouldn't give up. He swam to Beeker and chittered his plan. Beeker popped out and swam with Burpy towards the leak. "Burpy wait! Where are you-" Eli started to ask. "Ah, ah, ah. Drop it, princess." Drake threatened. Eli dropped his blaster. Harley did the same. "Nice to see you take an order properly." Drake said. "Care to do the honors?" "With pleasure." Brutale said, loading a torpedo shell. Mimkey was very displeased with the Drake brothers' attempts.

Burpy and Beeker made their way to the leaking pipe. Mimkey sensed them, which also alerted Drake. Burpy and Beeker made their way down the jet line. "Oh, no you don't! Match him, Mimkey!" Drake called, holding up a barrel for Mimkey. Mimkey just shook his head and turned to swim away. "Oh, no you don't!" Drake said, grabbing his slug. "You're my slug and you will do as I say!" He shoved Mimkey into the barrel, loaded him into his blaster and slung him towards Burpy. Burpy transformed and Mimkey mimicked him, but with both being underwater, they couldn't conjure any fire, so they transformed back. Beeker transformed next and blasted Mimkey with Seawee, blowing him bachwards. Mimkey shook off the shock and chittered with respect. Just then, Mimkey got eaten by a shark! Drake and Brutale gasped. "Whoa!" Eli said. The shark swam into the caves. "No! Come back here with me Mimkey!" Brutale cried. "_Your_ Mimkey?! That was _my_ Mimkey!" Drake argued. "AFTER THAT SHARK!" They swam after the shark.

As everyone cheered in victory, Buzzsaw and Shredder hopped out of their barrels and cut Eli and Harley free. Eli looked at his air gauge. He was almost out of air! "Kord! We're almost out of time!" He called. Kord finished cutting, gave the magma a pound and the cut part opened a hole. "I got it!" Kord called. He loaded Sploder into a torpedo shell and slung him into the vent. Sploder trailed the vent and exploded. "That should do…it?" Nothing was happening. The entire thing was still standing. "Why isn't it working?" Trixie asked. "Looks like it's gonna take more than Hop Rocks to bring her down. We need something that can pull it from the inside and collapse it on itself. I tell ya, if this weren't so exciting, I'd be really freaking out right now!" Kord said. "I think someone's a little air crazy." Vance whispered.

Beeker chittered. "You think you can do it?" Eli asked. Beeker nodded. "Okay Beeker." Eli said, loading Beeker into his blaster and slinging him into the vent. Beeker blasted his Seawee into the vent. The vibrations from the sound started to cause the entire place to collapse into the trench where it was drilling. As everyone started to cheer, their air gauges went full red, meaning that they were out of air. Eli loaded a torpedo shell as everyone started coughing and slung it downwards. Then Suds came up, swallowed the gang and started to float up to the surface. Everyone quickly got their helmets off and gasped for air. Beeker swam up to the hole in the vent and Eli gave a thumbs up. But then, the facility started to crash around the vent, trapping Beeker in the vent. "Beeker!" Eli cried as Suds continued to float up. Watts, who saw everything, looked towards the remains of the facility.

Suds finally reached the surface, hovered over dry land and popped, dropping everyone onto the ground. Everyone recovered and resumed their cheer for victory. But not everyone was happy. The gang turned and saw Eli and Burpy looking very sad. "Taking out Blakk's drill was important. But nothing's more important to me than this gang. Including you, Beeker. I'm sorry." Eli said. Trixie and Eliza moved over to comfort Eli as the others sighed with despair. Suddenly, there was a bubbling sound. Everyone looked to see bubbles in the water. Then, a familiar face popped out of the water. Beeker was alive! Everyone cheered as Beeker swam over to them. Beeker hopped into Eli's hand and nuzzled him. "But how'd he get out?" Harley asked. "You can thank me for that." A familiar voice said. Everyone turned as Watts jumped out of the water and onto the land. The gang quickly drew their blasters and aimed at the former pirate. "Relax kids. I'm not here for a fight. I'm here to accept your offer to join you." Watts said. Everyone was surprised to hear this. "Uh, you do realize that I didn't actually mean that, don't you?" Eli asked. "Maybe. But I've had enough of being a mistreated pirate. I want to start fresh. Do what you guys do." Watts said. "And to prove that, I have a peace offering for you." He brought out several slug barrels containing MakoBreakers. "Whoa." The gang said as Watts passed them to each of them. "They're called MakoBreakers. You'll never find any other slugs like them in any other cavern." Watts explained. Eli's MakoBreaker hopped out of its barrel and into Eli's hand and chittered. "Thanks Watts." Eli said, petting his new slug. Watts nodded. "Oh! And if that's not enough, I also got you this." He said, holding out…Mimkey! Everyone was surprised to see Drake's own slug. "But how did you-" Kord started to ask. "Passed by the shark that ate him on my way up." Watts explained. Eli held out his hand and Mimkey crawled onto it, up his arm, onto his shoulder next to Burpy. The 2 slugs shook hands respectively. "Well Watts, I think you've earned your place. Welcome to the team." Eli said as he and Watts shook hands. "Wait. What about Drake and Brutale?" Trixie asked. "Oh, I think they'll have their hands full for a while." Eli said.

Meanwhile, back under water, Drake and Brutale were still searching for Mimkey, not knowing that Watts took him. "Mimkey!" Drake called into a shark's mouth before punching it away. "Come here you!" Brutale said, grabbing another shark. "They all look the same!" Drake pointed out. "Ignore the ones with punch marks in them!" Brutale said as he punched his shark. "Mimkey? Not this one." Drake swam over to another shark. "Come here you!" He yelled. "Nothing personal." Brutale said, punching his shark away.

**That's finally done with. Blakk hires pirates to build a drill in Undertow Cavern, Eli and his gang team up with Mavolio Drake to thwart their plans and Watts and Mimkey join the Shane Gang in the aftermath. What other surprises await our Shane Gang? Stay tuned and leave a review if you want.**

**I hope you like the name I gave Mimkey's species: Mimickreas**

**Slug Arsenal:**

**Eli Shane: Burpy (Infurnus), Joules (Tazerling), Noodle (Flopper), Banger (Armashelt), Bolo (Polero), Rammer (Rammstone), Rocky (Hop Rock), Chiller (Frostcrawler), Burner (Lavalynx), Suds (Bubbaleone), Goober (Jellyish), Sparky (Grenuke), Doc (Boon Doc), Larry (Lariat), Gust (Tormato), Buzzsaw (Thresher), Digger (Crystalyd), Spinner (Arachnet), Mucky (Dirt Urchin), Tangles (Vinedrill), Spooker (Frightgeist), Charger (Fandango), Stunts (Speedstinger), Glimmer (Phosphoro), Mo (Enigmo), Dazer (Hypnogrif), Urchin (Sand Angler), Dozer (Slyren), Jinxer (Hexlet), Torch (Forgesmeltor), Yang (Negashade), Beeker (AquaBeek), Mimkey (Mimickreas), Jaws (MakoBreaker)**

**Harley Shane: Matchstick (Flaringo), Squirm (Flopper), Frostbite (Frostcrawler), Webs (Arachnet), Gels (Jellyish), Zipper (Hoverbug), Ivy (Vinedrill), Masher (Rammstone), Frights (Frightgeist), Shredder (Thresher), Smelly (Flatulorhinkus), Claws (Armashelt), Splatz (Lariat), Twister (Tormato), Lucky (Hexlet), Sizzle (Grenuke), Quill (Dirt Urchin), Ping (White Boon Doc)**

**Trixie Sting: Bluster (Tormato), Blizzard (Frostcrawler), Spider (Arachnet), Twirl (Polero), Balloon (Bubbaleone), Haunter (Frightgeist), Pounder (Rammstone), Slicer (Thresher), Rocks (Hop Rock), Jelly (Jellyish), Blossom (Vinedrill), Spotty (Flopper), Dunes (Sand Angler), Zaps (Tazerling), Roller (Armashelt)**

**Kord Zane: Bludgeon (Rammstone), Sploder (Hop Rock), Jolt (Tazerling), Trip (Polero), Flycatcher (Arachnet), Floatie (Bubbaleone), Iceberg (Frostcrawler), Scorch (Flaringo), Jetstream (AquaBeek), Spitz (Lariat), Chuckles (Gazzer), Floppy (Flopper), Pincer (Armashelt)**

**Pronto Geronimo: Stinky (Flatulorhinkus), Slimey (Jellyish), Soapy (Bubbaleone), Bruiser (Rammstone), Flame (Flaringo), Loogie (Lariat), Windy (Tormato), Squeaky (Flopper), Blocky (Hop Rock), Freezie (Frostcrawler)**

**Vance Volt: Blast (Hop Rock), Bloom (Vinedrill), Crust (Lavalynx), Legs (Spider), Swimy (AquaBeek), Hardcase (Armashelt), Squish (Jellyish), Blow (Tormato), Cheep (Flopper), Punch (Rammstone)**

**Mario Bravado: Ricochet (Speedstinger), Slide (Frostcrawler), Crawler (Arachnet), Echo (AquaBeek), Mess (Jellyish), Breeze (Tormato), Kate (Flopper), Porky (Dirt Urchin), Dunk (Rammstone)**

**Lash: Zing (Tazerling), Speedy (Speedstinger), Hopper (Hop Rock), Bubba (Bubbaleone), Stinx (Flatulorhinkus), String (Polero), Goat (Rammstone), Sleepy (Slyren), Webber (Arachnet), Ice (Frostcrawler), Spark (Flaringo), Winger (Tormato), Witch (Hexlet), Phlegm (Lariat), Peep (Flopper)**

**Shimei: Mong (Hop Rock), Jin (Rammstone)**

**Eliza Shane: Ellie (Flaringo), Min (Jellyish), Tink (Phosphoro), Pimpy (Bubbaleone)**


	25. The Gentleman and the Thieves

_Chapter 25: The Gentleman & The Thieves_

Trixie was filming herself with her camera. "Hey. Trixie Sting here live. And I don't need to tell you about the crime wave hitting Slugterra." She said. "It's been almost a week, and our mystery thieves are still stealing stuff all over."

She was right. For the past week, somebody has been stealing things from all over Slugterra. Mario's pizza ingredients. Drake's toenail jars. Even Millard Milford's security cards and blaster.

"So, I'm putting it out to all of you on the Slugnet. Eli and the rest of the Shane Gang are on the hunt right now." Trixie continued, not noticing someone swinging through the mushrooms. "So, if anyone knows where these thieves are-" "I do." A familiar voice boomed. "_They're_ right here." Just then, Trixie's camera was snatched from her hands. "Hey!" Trixie called as the thieves swung to another mushroom. It was Dana and Deagan Por. Deagan had patches on his face from when he got burned at Magma Cavern. "Dana and Deagan Por?" Trixie asked in disbelief. "Aw, she remembers us, sis." Deagan said. "In that case, can you say that again? I want everyone to know who're the best thieves in Slugterra." Dana said, filming Trixie with her own camera.

Trixie was now really mad. She slung Pounder towards the thieving siblings. But Dana countered by slinging one of her Arachnets, trapping Pounder in a web. "Aw. Too bad, so sad!" Deagan called as he and Dana slung more Arachnets. Trixie fired Blizzard, blowing Deepfreeze at the siblings, but they dodged by swinging on their Arachnet webs as the attack froze the tree. "Grr! Get back here with my camera!" Trixie shouted as she took careful aim at the thieving siblings. She then slung Roller towards them as they perched onto a tree. "Bullseye!" She said as Roller hit the tree. But all there was, was a scorch mark from where Dana and Deagan were. "Hey! Where'd you 2 go? How did they do that?" Trixie asked herself, completely shocked from what happened.

* * *

**(Intro (Shane Gang updated with Watts)**

* * *

The Shane Gang took up a security position at Cavern Museum. After Trixie told them that Dana and Deagan were the thieves, they head for Cavern Museum after the Por siblings posted clues for them on the Slugnet with Trixie's camera. The entire museum was covered from head to toe with security lasers.

"Dana and Deagan aren't getting through all of that." Kord pointed out. "And if they do, they'll find us waiting." Eli said. "Yes. Well, let us hope that they don't keep us waiting too long." Pronto said as his stomach started growling. "Pronto needs a snack." "How can you even think about food right now?" Vance asked. Pronto was about to answer, but Lash grabbed his lips. "Don't answer that." Lash said. "We don't even know for sure if they're gonna even try to rob the Cavern Museum." Kord said. "They will." Eli assured. "How do you know, Eli?" Eliza asked. "They've hit pretty much every other high-security target in Slugterra." Eli explained. "And disappeared into thin air. Not to mention they've posted enough clues for us on the Slugnet. Using _my_ camera!" Trixie said.

"Well, while we wait, I'm gonna dive into this week's crossword and win me some loot." Kord said, pulling out a book of crossword puzzles. Harley brought Eli to the side. "Eli, I think you should refrain from using Burpy if Dana and Deagan do show up." Harley said. Eli was confused. "You remember what happened the last time we ran into those 2. Deagan was willing to crush Torch to get Burpy. Who's to say he won't try anything else to get what he wants?" Harley said. "I know what you're saying, Harley. But don't worry. Burpy's too smart for Deagan. No way he'll get Burpy to listen either way." Eli assured. "I guess so. But still, best be careful." Harley advised. Eli nodded. Just then, they were interrupted by Pronto's stomach. "Sorry. Pronto still needs a snack." Pronto said. "And I need a 9-letter word for flimflam that starts with a B." Kord said.

"Try bamboozle." Dana's voice called. Everyone looked up and saw Dana and Deagan on the wall. "Dana! Deagan!" Eli said. "Long time no see, Shane. You still got my Infurnus?" Deagan asked. Burpy chittered angrily. "But how could they have gotten in?" Harley asked. "Less talking, more slugging those camera stealers!" Trixie said. "Trixie no!" Eli called. Too late. Trixie fired Rocks towards the Por siblings. They both jumped out of the way and swung around the security lasers. "Careful Trixie. You don't wanna set off the alarm system. But I do." Dana said, bringing her hand into the laser. An auto blaster came down from the ceiling and started to take aim. It fired a Frostcrawler. "Scatter!" Eli shouted as the slug hit the ground. Dana swung to the wall as more blasters fired more slugs. Kord, Pronto, Lash and Watts moved as a Jellyish hit their spot.

Deagan dropped down and turned to face Eli. "Surrender Deagan. You and Dana aren't gonna get away this time." Eli said, aiming his blaster at the Por boy. "Oh, don't worry. I'm not going anywhere. Not without the Infurnus!" Deagan said, aiming his blaster at Eli and firing a Hop Rock. Eli ducked out of the way and slung Stunts. Deagan jumped and split his legs, dodging the Speedstinger. "You seem more eager than usual, Deagan." Eli said. "That's because I have this as a reminder of what happens when someone denies me what is rightfully mine." Deagan said, removing his patches, revealing his scars. His left eye all white and his cheek to his chin was all covered with burn scars. Eli and Burpy were disgusted. "Yes. You did this when you denied me the Infurnus. So, this is your last chance, Shane. Give me the Infurnus or you will suffer." Deagan said. "I already told you, Burpy belongs to me. You're not getting him. Willingly or otherwise." Eli said. "Then you will BURN!" Deagan said, firing a Lavalynx.

Meanwhile, Pronto noticed Dana crawl her way through the security lasers to the next room. This gave Pronto an idea. He charged towards the lasers and used his blaster to pole-vault himself past them, only to get himself stuck in a Hoverbug picture. "Oh. Hello." He said awkwardly. Dana just smiled and ripped off one of Pronto's eyebrows. "OW!" Pronto cried. Just then, Kord zipped in. "Gotcha!" He said, trying to grab Dana. But Dana slipped under him and fired another Arachnet past him. "Ha! Missed!" Kord said. "Did I?" Dana asked. Her Arachnet wrapped her web around a Thresher statue. Dana then tugged the web, pulling the statue onto Kord. "Oh Floppers!" Kord said, catching the statue and stumbling backwards. "Hey!" A voice called. Dana turned to see Shimei taking a stance. "Let us see how you fair against the granddaughter of the Unbeatable Master." Shimei said. "Oh, this will be fun." Dana said.

Meanwhile, Eli dodged another one of Deagan's slugs and slung his new Flatulorhinkus, Gasser. Deagan got hit by the slug's Blorfball. "OH! That really stinks! And it stings my scars!" He said. Eli walked towards Deagan as he dropped to the ground. "You had enough yet?" Eli asked. Just then, Deagan surprised Eli by sweeping his legs and knocking Eli down with Burpy falling off his shoulder. Deagan then walked over, grabbed Burpy, shoved him into a barrel and aimed it at Eli. "Finally. I have what is mine. And you are about to meet your end, Shane." He said. But Burpy started pushing the side of the barrel, knocking it loose from the blaster. "Hey! Get back in there! You're mine now! You obey me!" Deagan shouted, trying to put Burpy back in. "He's not gonna listen to you, Deagan. Know why? Because he would never turn on his family." Eli stated. "Speaking of which." Deagan heard a blaster being loaded. He turned to see and saw Harley slinging Masher, punching Deagan into the wall. Deagan dropped his blaster in the process. Burpy hopped out of the barrel, blew Deagan a raspberry and hopped back to Eli.

Meanwhile, Dana and Shimei were continuing their duel. Shimei slung her Vinedrill, Zeng, but Dana flipped out of the way and slung another Arachnet. Shimei swatted the slug aside and went in to strike with her staff. Dana kept evading the incoming strikes like a snake. Finally, Dana swept under Shimei's feet. Shimei tried to stand up, but Dana held her at blaster point. "Stay down. I'd rather not send you to join your grandmother with your life ahead of you." Dana said.

Just then, a slug zipped past Dana. She hopped from the wall as Trixie, Vance and Mario gave chase. "Give me back my camera!" Trixie said, loading and slinging Jelly, hitting the wall with Loogi. Dana stopped and started to compare the Loogi with a picture of a Loogi next to it. "Hmm. I like yours better. In fact, let me take a picture of it." Dana said, taking out Trixie's camera. "My camera!" Trixie cried, racing towards Dana, but Dana slung another Arachnet and pulled up to the top of the wall, causing Trixie to crash into her own Loogi. "Ooh! Now that is just messy." Vance said.

"That's enough, Dana." Eli said. Dana turned to the Shane leader. "When we first met, I thought maybe we could actually be friends. We gave you every chance to do the right thing. But you and your brother are just no-good thieves." Eli said. "Yep. And there's nothing you can do to stop us." Dana said, slinging another Arachnet and swinging off the wall, grabbing Deagan's unconscious body and a couple of giftshop t-shirts on the way. "Oh yeah? You're not the only one with an Arachnet slug." Eli said, taking Spinner's barrel and loading it. "There's nothing you can do that Spinner and I can't do better!" He slung Spinner and started to swing after Dana. However, Dana let go of one of the t-shirts, blinding Eli and causing him to swing into the wall. Eli dropped to the floor as his team ran up to him. "Eli! Are you okay, baby?" Trixie said. "Ow." Eli groaned.

"No way! No way she could've gotten through there!" Kord said. "Yeah? Well, she did. It's like she disappeared into the shadow." Eli pointed out. Pronto struggled and grew back his eyebrow. "But how?" He asked as the gang examined the wall.

* * *

Dana and Deagan reappeared at their secret cavern, using the same Shadow Clan orb they took from the Shane treasure chest. "Yes! We did it again." Dana said, tossing the t-shirt with the other loot they stole. "Gotta say though. That one's gonna be hard to top." Dana said to the Arachnet on her shoulder, whom she named Webby. "And I think I know just the place." "Argh! Why are we bothering with wasting our new talents like this?!" Deagan asked as he slowly started to come around. "I had the Infurnus in my grasp, but it didn't even listen to me!" "Oh, get over yourself, dude. No way Eli's Infurnus was gonna listen to you either way." Dana said. "If you just give me the orb, I can sneak into the Shane's base, take the Infurnus without anyone being the wiser and make it obey me!" Deagan said, starting to sound mental. "No! We stick to my plan." Dana said as Webby hopped into her barrel and was slung, pulling Dana up to the big web. "One last job, then we can retire to best thieves in the history of Slugterra." Dana said. "Fine. And where's our next target location?" Deagan asked. "Blakk's citadel. If we pull off this heist, we'll be living the good life." Dana said. Deagan gave a small, sly smile, pulled out his phone and hid behind his personal rock. "Sorry sis. But my patience has reached its end." He said, dialing a number and putting it to his ear. "_Blakk's citadel._" Maurice's voice said. "I have a message for Dr. Blakk." Deagan said.

* * *

Back at the hideout, Suds kept the other slugs entertained by blowing bubbles. Joules accidently popped on with her spark, making Burpy laugh. Mucky hopped onto a bubble and rode it as it floated along the inside. "Come on guys. It may not have been our best night, but at least the museum wasn't a total disaster." Eli assured. "Yeah. Bamboozle. I never would've gotten that." Kord said, still working on his crossword book. "Is that all you can think about right now?" Watts asked. "More or less." Kord said sheepishly. "At least no one saw us flailing around like-" Trixie started to say, going through her computer until she saw something. "A bunch of Floppers!" Dana had posted the video of the gang's humiliating defeat at the museum on the Slugnet. "She posted it on the Slugnet! With my camera!" Trixie groaned. "Okay, your brother's fiancé is really starting to scare me a little." Lash whispered to Harley. "Yeah, me too." Harley whispered.

"I still don't get what Dana and Deagan think they're doing." Kord said as Pronto wolfed down a whole sandwich. "The only thing they took from the museum was a t-shirt from the giftshop." "Any opinions, boss?" Watts asked. "Well, aside from making us look bad, I'd say they're doing it for the fun of busting into any place they want. And the fact that nobody can stop them." Eli said. "In that case, their thrill ride's coming to an end. There's nowhere harder to get into than the museum." Kord said. Eli started to think and had a horrible thought. "No. There is one other place. Dr. Blakk's." He said. "You don't think Dana and Deagan are gonna try to break into Blakk's citadel, do you?" Harley asked. "I don't know, but we're gonna find out." Eli said. "Dana and Deagan won't know what they're walking into."

Eli was right. "Catch that Slugball game last night? Late City Brutes killed it." A couple guards chatted as they walked through the halls. Dana and Deagan used the orb to phase through the shadows into the building.

* * *

Dana and Deagan started to sneak around the citadel, looking for anything for them to steal. "Blakk's gotta have something worth stealing in here." Dana said. "Like what?" Deagan asked. "I don't know! Anything!" Dana said. Webby chittered, pointing over to a cabinet with Blakk's mark. "Well, well. What do we have here?" Dana asked. The 2 thieves walked over and Dana felt around for a way to open it. Then she found the button. "Got it!" She said. The cabinet opened, revealing Blakk's blaster. "Oh yeah." Dana said, taking the blaster. "Looks like we hit paydirt, sis." Deagan said.

"Can I help you?" Blakk's voice asked, surprising the thieves. Webby hid behind Dana's back, shaking in fear. "Who are you?" Blakk asked. "Just a couple of no-good thieves." Dana said. Blakk was unimpressed. "Relax. We just wanted to see the look on your face when we-" Dana started to say, until Blakk roared and charged at them, attacking them with punches. Dana and Deagan flipped over him, out of the way. "Okay, that's not the look I was hoping for." Dana said with worry. Blakk threw another punch, but Dana just flipped away onto a table. Before Blakk could attack again, Dana slung Webby. But Blakk uppercut her into a tube of Dark Water. "Webby!" Dana cried. Then Blakk came in and hammered the table, destroying it as Dana jumped out of the way. Dana continued to evade Blakk as her tried to crush her with pieces of the table. Deagan watched from the shadows.

"Please! Just take the blaster back!" Dana pleaded. "Oh, I intend to. You won't be leaving here with anything." Blakk said, advancing on Dana. "In fact, you won't be leaving at all!" "I- I should've known better!" Dana said, activating the orb from behind her back. "Afterall, having your blaster stolen, that's just about the most humiliating thing that can happen to a slinger." Dana disappeared as Blakk tried to grab her. Blakk roared at his failure.

Maurice then came running in. "Everything okay, boss? I heard-" He started to ask. "I…lost something." Blakk said dusting himself off. "I'll gather up the boys." Maurice said, but Blakk stopped him. "No. I'd rather keep this quiet." He said. "Leave it to me, boss. I'll find someone who can discreetly eliminate this problem." Maurice said, pulling up his phone. Blakk then noticed Deagan in the shadows. They both stared at each other before smiling slyly.

Dana reappeared at her cavern, almost in shock from what happened with Blakk. "Whoa. That was a close one. Not to mention it cost us Deagan." She said. "But even without Deagan, I'm still the best." She slung another Arachnet and pulled herself up to her web. She then started to examine Blakk's blaster, chuckling with success. "I bet Dr. Blakk is losing his mind right about now." She said. She was wrong.

Back at Blakk's citadel, Maurice brought in a bunch of bounty hunters. As they waited, they were stacking their slug barrels. The slugs inside the barrels all shook with fear. "I didn't realize this would be a competition." A voice came from the door. A man with a cyber eye walked in. "That's a pity. For you. Allow me to introduce myself. I am-" "Yeah, yeah. You're the one they call The Gentleman." One of the hunters interrupted, mocking the man. The hunters all then laughed and knocked the barrel stack down. The Gentleman caught the barrel containing a Thresher. "It's not polite to interrupt. I was going to say I am the chap who's going to get this job." He said. The hunters just chuckled. "You talk funny." The one said. The Gentleman turned out the lights, activating his cyber eye's night vision. He then loaded the Thresher and targeted each of the other hunters. He then slung the Thresher, bouncing off the walls and striking the hunters all at once. "You should not have doubted me, my friends." The Gentleman said as he turned the lights back on. The hunters were all in a big pileup. "A gentleman always keeps his word."

At that moment, Blakk, Maurice, Stalker, and a new slinger wearing a gas mask walked in. The 4 looked on at the damage the Gentleman had done. "I believe we have found our man." Blakk said with impression. "There are 2 things I need delivered to me. A blaster, and the girl who took it." "Of course, sir. As I said, a gentleman always keeps his word." The Gentleman said with a bow.

* * *

Back in the cavern, as Dana slept in her web, 3 sets of feet were walking towards them. Webby started to chitter with alert. "Relax Webby. We're safe up here. We covered our tracks." Dana assured her favorite slug. "But not your trail." The Gentleman's voice said, alerting Dana. "Who?" She asked as she looked around. "Oh, I think you know who I am. Don't you little thief?" The Gentleman said, making his appearance known, along with Stalker and the masked slinger. Dana just stared in shock, knowing what the Gentleman was capable of. "Then you know how this will end." The Gentleman said, loading his Thresher and locking onto Dana. Stalker and the masked slinger took aim as well. "You can have the blaster. Take it! It was only a joke." Dana said. "That would make this easier for me and my cohorts. But not for you, I'm afraid." The Gentleman said. "I promised our employer that blaster _and_ you. And the Gentleman always keeps his word." He fired the Thresher at the web, knocking it loose and causing Dana to fall. She tried to grab onto a length of web, but she just slipped off. Webby pointed to the orb. Dana grabbed it, noticing the Gentleman, Stalker and the masked slinger firing Hop Rocks. Dana activated the orb, disappearing into the shadows just as the Hop Rocks it the ground.

The 3 mercenaries hopped down to the ground and ran towards the spot the Hop Rocks landed. But there was nothing there. "Now where could you have gotten to, my dear?" The Gentleman asked. "Forget where she is! How are we gonna find her?" Stalker asked. The Gentleman activated his cyber eye. "Let's follow the trail, shall we?" He said, taking off.

Dana reappeared in town, scaring a passing couple. "Don't mind me. Just passing through." She said. Suddenly, another Hop Rock zipped past her head. She took off as the Gentleman, Stalker and the masked slinger chased after her. Dana ducked into an alley and used the orb to disappear again. The mercenaries ran into the alley and looked around for her. The Gentleman tracked her trail with his cyber eye. "Up there!" He said, pointing to the rooftops. He slung an Arachnet and pulled himself up. Stalker and the masked slinger did the same and followed. Dana reappeared and ran across the roofs. The Gentleman swung onto the roof first and fired an Armashelt. Dana evaded the slug and continued to run. Then she fired another Arachnet onto a stalactite, swung and disappeared again. The 3 mercenaries caught up to the edge. "Where'd she go now?" Stalker asked. The Gentleman tracked her trail. "Interesting." He said, walking away. "What? Where is she?" Stalker asked. "Why the last place we'd ever think to look of course." The Gentleman answered. "The Shane Hideout." The masked slinger said with a deep mechanical voice.

* * *

By then, the Shane Gang walked back to the hideout. "What a waste. 10 hours in the bush staking out the entrance to Blakk's cavern." Kord groaned. "Not one trace of Dana or Deagan." Mario said. "Maybe they had another way in." Eli guessed. "Bah! Trust me. If a tracker as keen-eyed and sharp-nosed as Pronto cannot find them, then a Por cannot be found." Pronto said, unlocking the door. As he walked in, he got a big surprise in sight. "Aha! You see? Apparently, I'm even better than I thought." He said. Dana was sitting right there on their couch. "Yeah, yeah. You caught me! Now hurry up and close the door!" Dana said out of fear. "Whoa, whoa, whoa! What?! You had us chasing our tails like a bunch of Floppers!" Trixie said. "And now I'm turning myself in." Dana said, tossing Trixie back her camera. "My camera!" Trixie cried, hugging it tight to her chest.

"I don't get it. Why would you just give up?" Kord asked. "And where's Deagan?" Harley asked. Suddenly, the alarm blared. The security cameras picked up the Gentleman, Stalker and the masked slinger approaching the hideout. "That's why." Dana said as the Gentleman slugged out the cameras. Webby ducked back into Dana's purse. "Stalker? And who're the other 2?" Harley asked. "The one guy calls himself the Gentleman. I don't know who the other guy is. They're working for Dr. Blakk." Dana explained. "So, you guys _did_ try to steal from Blakk!" Eli said. "Try? I did." Dana said, pulling out Blakk's blaster. "And now Blakk wants payback. He's already got Deagan. And now he wants me dead."

The 3 mercenaries rode up to the hideout. Eli, Harley, Kord, Vance, Mario and Watts were waiting outside. The Gentleman dismounted his mecha and walked up. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am-" He started. "Dana told me about you. And the blaster." Eli interrupted. "It's inside. You're welcome to it." "Unfortunately, we'll have to decline your offer. Unless the girl comes with it." The Gentleman said. "Can't do that. I don't like what she's done, but I'm not just gonna hand her over to Dr. Blakk. I gave her my word." Eli said. Stalker growled. He forgot how stubborn and annoying Eli could be. "Now that I can literally appreciate. So, it appears we will have to find another way out of this impasse." The Gentleman said. Kord suddenly started to think on that word. "Impasse. 23 across! Thanks!" He said, pulling out his crossword book and writing the word down. Harley groaned and swiped the book. "Kord! Seriously?! You're doing this right now?!" He asked. Kord just chuckled sheepishly.

Stalker noticed something below them. He tapped the Gentleman's shoulder and pointed down. Trixie and Dana were trying to get away on their mechas. "Not very polite to leave without saying goodbye!" The Gentleman said, pulling up his blaster and firing his Armashelt. Stalker fired a Thesher and the masked slinger slung a Rammstone. Eli fired Joules, Harley fired his new Bubbaleone, Bubbles, Vance fired Blast and Kord fired his Phosphoro, now named Glint. The Armashelt knocked down Joules, the Thresher deflated Bubbles and the Rammstone punched Blast aside. But Glint pushed through and blinded the mercenaries with Flashbang. The attack even messed up the Gentleman's cyber eye. After resetting it, the Gentleman fired a Hop Rock at the gang and took off after Trixie and Dana with Stalker and the masked slinger right behind him. "Hey, I thought it wasn't polite to leave without saying goodbye." Eli called.

The 3 mercenaries trailed Trixie and Dana into Canyon Cavern. As they caught up, the Gentleman aimed a Hop Rock at Dana with his cyber eye and slung it, knocking her off her mecha beast. Dana managed to recover by slinging one of her Arachnets. The Gentleman fired another Hop Rock as Trixie and Dana split up. The mercenaries kept after their target as she swung through the canyon. Finally, she stopped at a dead end and turned to face her chasers. "I'm afraid you're trapped." The Gentleman said loading another slug. "No. You are." Dana turned out to be Trixie wearing Dana's clothing. The 3 looked up to see Pronto, Eli, Harley and Eliza aiming their blasters at them. The Gentleman slung his loaded slug, a Speedstinger, knocking the gang's blasters out of their hands. "A mere distraction." The Gentleman said. "Exactly!" Kord called. The cave troll flew in and tackled the Gentleman right off his mecha, knocking him out. Stalker was about to strike. "Ahoy there!" Watts called, firing his MakoBreaker, Scourge, trapping the game hunter on the rock wall with Razorstorm. Harley noticed that the masked slinger wasn't around. 'I wonder where that other guy went.' He thought.

The gang regrouped. "I guess Dana bolted." Trixie said angrily. "Guess again." Dana called. Everyone turned to see her in Trixie's clothing. "So, what do we do with her now?" Kord asked. "I got some ideas." Trixie grumbled. But Eliza just blocked her. "If I can take back all the stuff I did, trust me, I would." Dana said. "And we should just take your word for that?" Trixie asked. "Especially with the things Deagan tried to do?" Lash added. Eli, Harley and Burpy looked at each other. "No. You should take mine. I trust her." Eli said. "Thanks Eli. For everything." Dana said putting her glasses back on. "Don't thank me. Prove me right." Eli said.

At that moment, the Gentleman started to come around, seeing that Trixie, Mario and Pronto were aiming their blasters at him. "I believe I know what happens next." He said. "I don't think you do. We're letting you go." Eli said. Everyone was shocked at what he just said. "We are?! Bro, this dude's one of the bad guys. And he's good with words." Kord said. "And he's also tight with Stalker over there." Vance said, gesturing to their other prisoner. "What're you planning, Eli?" Harley asked. "Even if we return his blaster, Blakk is still gonna hunt Dana down. This is what we have to do to protect her." Eli said. Dana and Webby looked at each other. "You're gonna go to Blakk and tell him to meet me and Harley in Chillbore Cavern. Alone. And this is exactly how it's gonna go down."

Eli and Harley entered Chillbore Cavern, meeting Blakk face-to-face. "So, here we are." Blakk said. Eli and Harley just glared.

* * *

Eli and Harley continued to glare. Their slugs growled from in their barrels. "Well, do you have it or not?" Blakk asked impatiently. Eli reached behind him and slowly drew Blakk's blaster. "Then give it to me! I'm here as you asked. Alone. Unarmed." Blakk said. "Can't believe you actually kept your word." Eli said, sliding the blaster to Blakk's feet. Blakk picked it up and smiled with a sneer. "You should've trusted those instincts." He said. Eli and Harley noticed the Gentleman, Stalker and the masked slinger aiming their blasters at them. "Guess we should've known you'd lie." Eli said. Blakk chuckled. "About several things." He held up a slug barrel containing a Hop Jack ghoul. He loaded it and slung it. Eli and Harley took cover. Eli loaded and slung Rocky. Blakk fired a Greneater. The ghoul knocked Rocky aside and hit the ice block Eli took cover behind. The ghoul exploded as Blakk started to advance on Eli.

Harley kept his focus on Stalker, who slung a Thresher. Harley ducked down, dodging the slug, then popped back up, slinging his new Polero, Polo, tripping the game hunter. Stalker just growled and slung a Hop Rock, sending Harley back towards Eli.

The Gentleman saw his chance and aimed at the brothers. Suddenly, Dana appeared and aimed at the Gentleman. "What?! You!" Blakk shouted. The Gentleman ducked out of the way as Dana fired her slug. "Her name's Dana. She's a friend of ours." Eli said as he loaded and fired Joules. Blakk fired a Grimmstone. Joules fired her Tazerbolt, but the Grimmstone moved out of the way and knocked her down. Eli and Harley flipped over the ghoul as it broke through the ice. The Shane brothers landed, only to see that they were standing a floating ice block.

As Dana prepared to drop in, the Gentleman aimed his blaster at her. "No!" The masked slinger yelled, dropping in front of the Gentleman. "She's mine." The slinger said. The Gentleman stepped aside as Dana and the masked slinger took their stance. Then they started to sling Arachnet slugs back and forth. Dana slid under the slinger and slung another Arachnet, but the slinger dodged and slung another Arachnet of his own. Dana dodged and looked at the slinger in disbelief. "You know all my moves! How is that possible?!" She asked. "You should know. We trained every day, using the same moves, Dana." The slinger said, removing his mask. "Deagan?!" Dana gasped, recognizing the face of her own brother. "Hello sis. Surprised?" Deagan asked. "But why? How?" Dana asked, close to tears. "Well, you see, after you left, me and Blakk made a little deal as we hired the Gentleman here to take you out. I help him to get what he wants, and he helps me to get what I want." Deagan said. "Eli's Infurnus. Burpy!" Dana guessed. "Yes. You held me back long enough, Dana. Always denying me what should be mine! Well, that all ends now!" Deagan shouted. "No. As soon as Blakk finishes Eli and Harley, he'll finish us both as well for stealing his blaster." Dana said. "Us both?" Deagan just chuckled. "Fool. I _told_ Blakk we were coming." He revealed. Dana was now in shock. "You- You sold me out?!" Dana asked, letting her tears fall. "Yes. And so, as of today, you are no longer my sister." Deagan declared.

Dana froze in place, feeling too betrayed and heartbroken to move. Deagan moved aside as the Gentleman took aim at Dana and fired a Geoshard slug. It fired Crystallist at her stomach, crystalizing her body. "NO!" Eli cried as Blakk laughed maniacally. Dana struggled, but couldn't move. Deagan walked up to her. "Goodbye Dana." He pushed her over the edge and into the water. Eli and Harley dove in and swam after her as she sank.

Blakk, Stalker and Deagan walked up to the Gentleman. "You're certain that Geoshard did its job?" Blakk asked. "A gentleman always keeps his word." The Gentleman said. Deagan glared at the water. 'Next time, you Shanes won't escape alive!' He thought.

* * *

In the Flumes, Eli, Harley and Dana emerged with the help of Suds. The gang rushed over to help. Kord, Vance and Lash pulled Eli, Harley and Dana out with a leash pole. "It's okay bro! We got you." Kord said. Pronto fished Joules, Suds, Rocky, Polo and the Geoshard out of the water with a bucket. "And your slugs are safe too thanks to Pronto." Pronto boasted. Trixie and Eliza covered Eli and Harley with big blankets to dry them off. Kord gently set Dana down. She looked like she wasn't even breathing. "Dude, if he crystallized her heart or her brain-" Kord started to say. "He didn't." Eli said, nodding to Pronto. Pronto slung his own Slyren from Snowdance Cavern, Doozey, into the air. Doozey sung his Whistleer attack and shattered the crystal, waking Dana up. "What happened?" Dana asked as she coughed for air. "Exactly as we planned." Eli said.

_[Flashback]_

"_You're gonna go to Blakk and tell him to meet me and Harley in Chillbore Cavern. Alone. And this is exactly how its gonna go down. We're going to convince Blakk she's taken care of. Even with the blaster back, Blakk won't let this end without drawing blood. So, you're gonna use that eye of yours to hit Dana in just the right spot to make it look like she's finished." Eli instructed. Dana flinched at this. "Without, you know, actually hurting her. We got a deal?" Eli asked. "It looks as if I have no choice but to agree." The Gentleman said, gesturing to Trixie, Pronto and Mario still aiming their blasters at him. "But I am a man of my word. I promised Dr. Blakk I'd bring him the blaster and the girl." "And you're gonna do exactly that. And then, you're gonna keep your word to me." Eli said. The Gentleman just smiled._

_[Flashback End]_

Everyone returned to the hideout. "So, now that Blakk and Deagan think I'm at the bottom of the Under River, that's it? I'm in the clear?" Dana asked. "As long as you lay low. Which means no more stealing." Eli said. Dana looked at Webby, who nodded. "Thanks." Dana said. "Don't thank me. Prove me right." Eli said, repeating his earlier words. "I will." Dana said, pulling out her orb, activating it and disappearing, shocking the gang in the process. "Whoa! Where'd she go?" Trixie asked. "She 'bamboozled' us." Kord said. "But how'd she do that?" Lash asked. "I thought I could trust her." Eli said. Just then, Dana reappeared. "You can." She said, showing them the orb. "Is that what I think it is?" Vance asked. "Shadow Clan tech." Eli said. "So, that's how you did it." Trixie said. Even the slugs were surprised. "It's called a Shadow Walker." Dana said. "Where'd you get this?" Eli asked. "Inside your father's treasure chest. The one with the Shadow Talkers? The Shadow Walker lets me walk through the shadows just like the Shadow Clan." Dana explained. "And you just took it?" Trixie asked. "As your share of the family treasure no doubt." Harley guessed. "That's what I do. What I used to do." Dana said. "I'm giving everything me and Deagan stole back. Including this." Dana gave the Shadow Walker to Eli. "No." Eli said. Everyone gasped. "What did you say?" Vance asked. "Excuse me, but is that some sort of code where no means yes? Because this seems like the kind of extremely powerful device that Dr. Blakk would love to get his hands on." Pronto said. "I actually agree with the mole. If Blakk were to learn of Shadow Clan tech, he'd stop at nothing to get sample to try and replicate for himself." Watts said. "And that's why Dana's gonna keep it. As her share of our family treasure. Safest place for it is with someone Blakk no longer thinks exists." Eli said. "Besides, I trust her with it." The slugs chittered in agreement. "So do I." Trixie said. "Me too." Harley agreed.

Dana sighed. "Actually, I was thinking." She said. "About what?" Eli asked. "I'm not gonna lay low. I've decided that I wanna join you." Dana said. Everyone looked at her with surprise. "But Dana-" Eli started. "Eli, you said you gave me the chance to do the right thing. To me, this is the right thing I want to do." Dana said. She sat back down as she started to shed tears. "Besides, since my dad passed way, and after what Deagan said to me, I have nowhere else to go now." Everyone now felt sorry for Dana, especially Eliza. Eli stood up. "You were always welcome to join our table, Dana." He said, holding out his hand. Dana dried her tears a bit, stood up and shook the hand. "Thanks Eli." She said. "No problem. And I have a feeling that we're gonna have to use the Shadow Walker again someday." Eli said. "I have one question. I need a 4-letter word." Kord said, pulling up his crossword book again. "S-L-blank-G." "Slug!" Everyone said. "Oh, that fits! Thanks guys." Kord said, writing the U down. "Oh brother." Harley groaned. "Uh Dana? Can we talk in private for a few minutes?" Eliza asked. "Yeah. Sure thing, Mrs. Shane." Dana said. They both walked away to speak privately. When they were gone, Eli turned his attention to the Geoshard they brought back. "Now then, how would you like to join our team?" He asked. The Geoshard chittered with interest. "Then I think we'll call you Crystal." Eli said.

Later that night, Eli sat outside, staring at the view. Then he noticed Harley, Eliza and Dana talking at the door and pointing at him. Dana then nodded. Eliza then kissed her forehead and Harley patted her shoulder before they walked back in. Dana then looked at Eli and walked over, sitting down next to him. "Hey." She said. "Hey." Eli said back. "Some day huh?" Dana asked. "Yeah. Some day. You'll experience lots of days like it with us in the future." Eli said. "I look forward to it." Dana said. They both stared at the night view for a while. "So, what did you and my mom talk about?" Eli asked. "Well, it may actually come as a surprise to you. It did for Harley." Dana started as she stood up. "What?" Eli asked. "She wants to adopt me." Dana revealed. Eli was surprised to hear this. "You see, I knew your father when I was little. And whenever we visited him, he treated me like I was his own daughter." Dana explained. "And now that your father's gone, Mom wants to make it official." Eli said. "If it's okay with you, Eli. It would mean all of Slugterra to me to call you my brother." Dana said, about to cry. Eli smiled and brought Dana into a hug. "Welcome to the Shane family…sister." He whispered. Dana let her tears as she tightened her hug with happiness.

* * *

Back at Blakk's citadel, Deagan was furious when he found out that the Gentleman had actually left Dana alive on orders from Eli. "Those Shanes! They mock me! I'VE HAD ENOUGH!" He ranted as he kicked a table over. "Relax Deagan. There will be other chances." Blakk said. "Indeed. I plan to seek vengeance against the Shane Gang myself. Especially since I've offered my full-time services to Dr. Blakk." The Gentleman added. "That doesn't help my case. My traitorous sister still lives and I still haven't claimed what is rightfully MINE!" Deagan shouted. Blakk stood up and walked over to Deagan. "Then maybe I can give you what is rightfully yours, in exchange for your services." He said. "How? How can you give me what is rightfully mine?" Deagan asked. "No one has ever proven that the Shane's Infurnus slug was the only one of its kind in existence." Blakk said, holding up a ghoul barrel. Deagan gasped at what was in it. An Infurnus! A _ghouled_ Infurnus!

**Whoa! Pretty heavy events that happened here. Deagan betrays his own sister and joins Dr. Blakk. Dana makes up for her thieving crimes and joins the Shane Gang. But where did Blakk get another Infurnus? This and more surprises await! Leave a review if you want.**

**And let me know if you like my special surprise for this chapter. Eliza wanting to adopt Dana into the Shane family. I really hope you like it.**

**Slug Arsenal:**

**Eli Shane: Burpy (Infurnus), Joules (Tazerling), Noodle (Flopper), Banger (Armashelt), Bolo (Polero), Rammer (Rammstone), Rocky (Hop Rock), Chiller (Frostcrawler), Burner (Lavalynx), Suds (Bubbaleone), Goober (Jellyish), Sparky (Grenuke), Doc (Boon Doc), Larry (Lariat), Gust (Tormato), Buzzsaw (Thresher), Digger (Crystalyd), Spinner (Arachnet), Mucky (Dirt Urchin), Tangles (Vinedrill), Spooker (Frightgeist), Charger (Fandango), Stunts (Speedstinger), Glimmer (Phosphoro), Mo (Enigmo), Dazer (Hypnogrif), Urchin (Sand Angler), Dozer (Slyren), Jinxer (Hexlet), Torch (Forgesmeltor), Yang (Negashade), Beeker (AquaBeek), Mimkey (Mimickreas), Jaws (MakoBreaker), Gasser (Flatulorhinkus), Crystal (Geoshard)**

**Harley Shane: Matchstick (Flaringo), Squirm (Flopper), Frostbite (Frostcrawler), Webs (Arachnet), Gels (Jellyish), Zipper (Hoverbug), Ivy (Vinedrill), Masher (Rammstone), Frights (Frightgeist), Shredder (Thresher), Smelly (Flatulorhinkus), Claws (Armashelt), Splatz (Lariat), Twister (Tormato), Lucky (Hexlet), Sizzle (Grenuke), Quill (Dirt Urchin), Ping (White Boon Doc), Bubbles (Bubbaleone), Polo (Polero)**

**Trixie Sting: Bluster (Tormato), Blizzard (Frostcrawler), Spider (Arachnet), Twirl (Polero), Balloon (Bubbaleone), Haunter (Frightgeist), Pounder (Rammstone), Slicer (Thresher), Rocks (Hop Rock), Jelly (Jellyish), Blossom (Vinedrill), Spotty (Flopper), Dunes (Sand Angler), Zaps (Tazerling), Roller (Armashelt)**

**Kord Zane: Bludgeon (Rammstone), Sploder (Hop Rock), Jolt (Tazerling), Trip (Polero), Flycatcher (Arachnet), Floatie (Bubbaleone), Iceberg (Frostcrawler), Scorch (Flaringo), Jetstream (AquaBeek), Spitz (Lariat), Chuckles (Gazzer), Floppy (Flopper), Pincer (Armashelt), Glint (Phosphoro)**

**Pronto Geronimo: Stinky (Flatulorhinkus), Slimey (Jellyish), Soapy (Bubbaleone), Bruiser (Rammstone), Flame (Flaringo), Loogie (Lariat), Windy (Tormato), Squeaky (Flopper), Blocky (Hop Rock), Freezie (Frostcrawler), Doozey (Slyren)**

**Vance Volt: Blast (Hop Rock), Bloom (Vinedrill), Crust (Lavalynx), Legs (Arachnet), Swimy (AquaBeek), Hardcase (Armashelt), Squish (Jellyish), Blow (Tormato), Cheep (Flopper), Punch (Rammstone)**

**Mario Bravado: Ricochet (Speedstinger), Slide (Frostcrawler), Crawler (Arachnet), Echo (AquaBeek), Mess (Jellyish), Breeze (Tormato), Kate (Flopper), Porky (Dirt Urchin), Dunk (Rammstone)**

**Lash: Zing (Tazerling), Speedy (Speedstinger), Hopper (Hop Rock), Bubba (Bubbaleone), Stinx (Flatulorhinkus), String (Polero), Goat (Rammstone), Sleepy (Slyren), Webber (Arachnet), Ice (Frostcrawler), Spark (Flaringo), Winger (Tormato), Witch (Hexlet), Phlegm (Lariat), Peep (Flopper)**

**Shimei: Mong (Hop Rock), Jin (Rammstone), Zeng (Vinedrill)**

**Eliza Shane: Ellie (Flaringo), Min (Jellyish), Tink (Phosphoro), Pimpy (Bubbaleone)**

**Watts: Scourge (MakoBreaker)**

**Dana Por: Webby (Arachnet)**


	26. No Exit

_Chapter 26: No Exit_

Lumino Cavern, a cavern where a group of miners are mining Lumino Ore, one of Slugterra's primary sources of light. Here, Dr. Blakk sent Twist, Jon Bull, Krusher and 4 other soldiers to sign a deal with the director of the mining operation.

"Lumino Ore. One of the primary sources of light in Slugterra. And therefore, one of our most valuable commodities. Your signature gives me exclusive rights to all the ore in Lumino Cavern. I of course will set the price." Blakk said over a video call on a tablet Twist was holding. "That ore belongs to all of Slugterra." The mining director said clearly. Blakk just chuckled. "Not anymore." One of the guards wheeled in a gattler. The director gasped as another goon took out a slug barrel. "Those are Neotox slugs!" He said, recognizing the slug. "No, those are Neurotox ghouls." Blakk corrected. "And I think their presence should bring any negotiation to an end. Agreed?" The director wanted to argue, but at the knowledge of what a Neotox slug can do, he just sighed with defeat. "Good. My apprentice will see to the details. And Twist, make sure to do it right." Blakk ordered.

Twist ended the call and changed the screen to a contract. The director hesitated on account of noticing something. "What are you waiting for? Sign it!" Twist ordered. Just then, a Polero knocked the pad out of Twist's hand. Everyone turned to see. "We're here to renegotiate." Eli said, making the gang's appearance known.

* * *

**(Intro) (Shane Gang updated with Dana Por)**

* * *

Blakk's goons fired their ghouls. The gang leapt their mecha beasts into action. (With Pronto bringing up the rear as usual.) Trixie rode in, evaded any incoming ghouls and fired Roller at a stalactite, knocking it loose. The goons scattered before the stalactite could crush them. Watts dismounted and slung a Hoverbug, Polly, swooping down and carrying off 2 goons. Suddenly, Krusher snuck up behind him. But before he could attack Watts, he suddenly got smacked on the head by a Speedstinger, knocking him out. Watts noticed Krusher's unconscious body, then noticed Lash holding his smoking blaster. "Thanks lad." Watts said. Lash nodded, then he loaded and slung his new Lavalynx, Melt, melting a goon's blaster with Geyservault.

Eli backflipped off Lucky, evading an Amperling, and slung Rammer. As he landed, he found himself at the blaster point of Jon Bull. "Say goodbye." Bull said. Suddenly, Dana swung down and kicked Bull into a mining cart. "Goodbye." Dana joked. "Thanks sis." Eli said. "No problem." Dana said, pounding her new brother's fist. Suddenly, they turned to see that Twist got hold of the gattler. "Stay back. I got the gattler." He warned. "You're not gonna use that! You know what it can do!" Eli said. "You know what it can do too." Twist reminded. "Yeah. We both saw Blakk take down the Unbeatable Master." Eli said, sadly remembering Shanai's death. "But you're not Blakk!" "You don't think I got the guts? You think I'm just gonna let this whole deal go up in flames?!" Twist asked. Eli fired Rammer at Twist, but he disappeared, revealing Loki. "Loki!" Eli said. "Whoa! Creepy." Dana said, shuddering from the sight. The real Twist appeared behind Eli and Dana. "I don't know what I'm gonna do if you ever stop falling for Loki's illusions." He said. He started firing the ghouls from the gattler, but the unrepaired kicks threw him off.

The ghouls transformed and blew a red fog from their mouths, creating a big red cloud. Eli and Dana hopped back onto their mechas. One of the miners tried to run for it, but he turned into petrified stone as soon as the cloud touched him. Eli saw what happened and raced up to Twist. "You knew what those ghouls would do?!" He asked. "No. But I'm not sticking around to be a victim!" Twist said as he rode away with Bull and Krusher. Eli stopped and looked back. The cloud started to grow bigger and encase the other miners and the director in petrified stone. "We gotta bolt, bro, or we're gonna be stone-cold stone! Everybody in there's already a statue!" Kord said. Eli didn't like it, but he and the others rode back towards the mine entrance. The cloud kept growing, catching up to the gang. "It's catching up!" Mario called. "Eli? What do we do?" Lash asked. "We can trap the cloud with an ice wall." Eli said. "But those miners!" Trixie protested. "Aren't gonna be saved by letting everyone in this cavern get turned to stone." Eli said. As the gang exited, they slung their Frostcrawlers and froze the door. "Did you guys see that?" Harley asked. "Yeah. That cloud just kept growing and growing." Trixie pointed out. "Like some kind of freaky chain reaction." Kord added. "How is that even possible?" Lash asked. "I'm willing to bet it has something to do with those Neotox being ghouls." Kord answered.

Suddenly, the ice wall started to crack. The cloud was trying to push through. "How much time before it breaks through?" Eli asked. "I don't know, bro. Just taking a guess, I'd say this puppy's got 10 hours, 22 minutes and 31 seconds before 'imitates explosion.' You know, give or take the 5 seconds it took to just say that." Kord said. "So, we got 10 hours to find someone who knows about Neotox slugs and how to stop them." Eli said. "Where are we gonna find someone like that? And better yet, who?" Harley asked. "Only one slinger was ever twisted enough to make them his signature slug." Pronto said. "Blite." Kord shuddered. "And he hasn't been seen since your dad locked him up in the Cavern of Time." Trixie said. "He'll have to do." Eli said. "What?!" Everyone asked in shock. "Hold up bro. The Cavern of Time is like an inescapable maze." Kord said. "He's right. Anyone who goes in there never comes out again." Vance said. "Hah! What you are forgetting is that you have a molenoid to lead you." Pronto boasted. "Suddenly, I feel more worried than before." Harley muttered. "Think you can get us in and out, Pronto?" Eli asked. "To find the way in and out of the Cavern of Time is every molenoid's dream!" Pronto said excitedly. "Come! Let us make HISTORY!" He started to ride to the right. "How long until he notices?" Dana asked. "In about 5, 4, 3, 2, and-" Trixie counted. Pronto cleared his throat as he turned around. "It's actually…the other way." He said. Trixie just shook her head.

* * *

The gang rode across a land bridge towards the Cavern of Time. "So, what's the story with Blite and our dad?" Eli asked. "Yeah. His name definitely sounds familiar." Harley said. "Yeah. Well, if you 2 grew up in Slugterra instead of up there, the name wouldn't sound familiar. It would sound terrifying!" Kord said. "Really? Tell us about this Blite." Eliza said. "Blite's slinging style was brutal. He'd hit slingers with a Neotox, and then leap into the cloud he created. Blight was protected by his gas mask. But the other slingers were anything but safe." Trixie explained. "Yeah. He was both smart and scary with his usage of those slugs." Mario said. "He messed people up pretty bad. Nobody could out-fight him. So, Will Shane. He didn't even try." Kord said. "He lured Blite deep within the Cavern of Time." Vance said. "Your dad took a huge risk, Eli. But it worked. Blite didn't realize it was a trick until he was trapped." Trixie said.

By then, the gang had arrived the Cavern of Time. "What happened to Blite after that?" Eli asked. "Nobody knows. It's a one-way trip into this place." Kord said. "A one-way trip to eternal fame! And yet, by entering, we will put our very lives at risk." Pronto said. "If there's a chance to save those miners, and everyone else, that's a chance I'll take any day." Eli said. "Me too. I'm behind Eli all the way." Harley said. "But that doesn't mean you guys have to." "And pass up the chance to document one of the most mysterious places in Slugterra? Yeah right." Trixie said. "Considering how lost you 2 would be without me on a normal day, you really think I'd let you 2 go in there without me?" Kord said. "Where my sons go, I'm gonna be by their side. No matter what." Eliza said. "I'm going too." Vance said. "And you're not leaving us behind." Mario, gesturing to himself, Lash and Shimei. "Count me in." Watts said. "That's not even a question." Dana said. Eli and Harley smiled at the gang's bravery. "Pronto too." As Pronto started talking, Trixie motioned to the gang to ride towards the cavern. "Grandly looks death in the eyes and says-" Pronto stopped, seeing that the gang had already started for the cavern. "Hey! Wait! You're missing my speech!" He called, riding after them as they entered the cavern.

Inside, the gang wandered into what looked like a big prehistoric wasteland. They looked around as a series of creatures shrieked and squawked. Suddenly, rock pillars started rising from the ground, nearly trapping the gang. "That way!" Eli called. He led the gang towards a canyon. Kord got caught on a rising pillar. "Kord!" Eli called. Kord hopped Wyatt across 3 other pillars before skidding to a stop in front of the gang. "We better stay together. _Close_ together." Eli suggested. "I second that." Lash agreed. "That's the least of our problems. How are we gonna find our way back out?" Trixie asked. "Problem? Ha! If you did not have the greatest tracker of all time perhaps. But fear not! Pronto is using a secret ancient molenoid tracking method." Pronto said. "Which is?" Trixie asked, sensing a bluff in Pronto's words. "Well, if I told you, it would no longer be a secret." Pronto said, not noticing a big prehistoric rat climbing up on Fernando. "But trust me. There is nothing to fear-" Pronto screamed at the sight of the rat. "Relax Pronto. It's just a little…Dinosaur?!" Eli shouted as the rat scurried across him and into Shimei's lap. "I was merely startled. Leave this miniature menace to Pronto." Pronto said as another rat scurried past them. "Oh! I have deduced that they come in pairs." The other rat moved up to Shimei's shoulder. Shimei smiled as the rat got comfy. "Not a problem. I can handle 2 primitive brains just as easily as-" Pronto stopped. Turns out the rats came in an entire pack. "Uh, _this_ however, could be a problem."

The rat pack charged towards the gang. The gang drew their blasters and started firing on the pack. The 2 rats cowered behind Shimei's mecha as she fired Jin, then Zeng. "Any suggestions? Lavalynx? Jellyish?" Trixie asked as she slung Rocks. "Try them all! There's more than enough of these things to go around." Eli said as he fired his slugs. Kord slung his Thresher, Throttle, as the rats kept on coming. "There's too many of them!" Lash called as he fired his Armashelt, Clash. "We gotta bail!" Kord shouted, firing another slug. "I'll clear out a path, then we roll!" Eli said. "Ready?" Burpy hopped into his barrel as Eli loaded and fired him, clearing a path in between the rats. The gang rode down the path. Just as Eli thought they were in the clear, he saw an even bigger pack coming their way. "This place needs a good exterminator." Trixie said. Suddenly, there was big roar, causing the rats to scatter. One of them was suddenly picked up and eaten by a big red Dino Beast. "Okay. Not quite the pest control I was hoping for. Run!" Trixie called. The gang rode for their lives as the Beast chased after them.

"Down here!" Kord called. He led them into a canyon, but it turned into a dead end. "Or, you know, not." He said sheepishly. The Beast snarled as it closed in on the gang. The 2 rats from before cowered between the feet of the mechas. The gang drew their blasters. But before they could sling any slugs, a Rammstone came out of nowhere and punched the Beast in the face. A man turned a corner on a jackal mecha and slung a Neotox slug, covering the Beast with Toxicloud. The gang looked on as the man emerged from the Toxicloud. "I'm guessing that's Blite." Eli said. The others nodded. The Beast struggled to move, but the effects of the Toxicloud caused it to drop unconscious. "That's close enough buddy!" Kord warned as he, Eli, Harley and Eliza aimed their blasters at Blite. Blite pulled over and took off his mask. "We must go. That thing will be angry when it- wakes!" He said, pausing and twitching. The gang looked at Blite like he was some kind of mental patient. "So, Eli, we're gonna follow the evil dude who maybe a little 'mental state imitation?" Kord asked. "Well, it's either that or wait around to be eaten." Eli said. "Pronto would like to propose a third choice. But nothing comes to mind." Pronto said. "That's a relief." Harley muttered.

Blite led the gang deeper into the cavern, away from the beast's current location. "It's been a long time since I've had-" Blite said, pausing his words. "Had what? New victims?" Kord asked. Blite just stayed silent. The gang gulped as their pupils shrunk down. "-company." Blite finished, making the gang sigh in relief. "That's a good sign. He thinks of us as company." Trixie said. "Somehow that doesn't make me feel any better." Harley said. "Every creature here is either food or trying to make you-" Blite explained, pausing up again. Eli rode up to him. "You've been here for years I can only imagine." He said. "-food." Blite continued. "Huh?" Eli asked in confusion. "Food." Blite said again. Eli looked and saw a big bug flying towards him. But Blite caught it. Eli shuddered as Blite bit off the bug's front half. Blite then realized that he still had company. "Oh, my manners. I should've offered you the first bite." He said, holding the bug out to Eli. Eli chuckled nervously, took the bug and examined it. Burpy was disgusted from the look of it. Eli looked to the others, who were gesturing him to eat the bug. Eli felt unsure, but shoved the whole bug into his mouth. Burpy gagged at the sight. "It's just that you never know what maybe…poisonous." Blite said. Eli went wide-eyed and spat out what was left of the bug as Blight rode ahead. Eli saw he spat some bug goop on Burpy, chuckled nervously and wiped it off.

As they continued, Pronto got a good look at Blite. "My keen sense of observation tells me this fellow is- How shall I say? Utterly and completely out of his mind!" He said. "Oh gee. You think?" Vance asked. "What was your first clue?" Dana asked. "Yeah. But he seems almost…nice. You know, in a creepy, weird sort of way." Trixie said. "Guys like him don't just change, no matter how long they've been cooped up in the Land of the Lost." Kord said. "Kord's right. Even the evilest of minds have no sanity before they wind up in a place like this." Shimei said as the 2 rats slept on the back of her mecha. "Let's hope he has enough sense left to help us. We're running out of time." Trixie said. "Eli!" She whispered. Eli nodded and rode up to Blite. "So, we noticed you know a thing or 2 about Neotox slugs. Which is good, because we need someone with that kind of expertise." He said. Blite just quickly ate a tiny bug passing by, making Eli flinch. "We need your help. Come with us to Lumino Cavern." Eli said. Blite stopped his mecha and started laughing. "What's so funny?" Eli asked. "Come with you? You are as trapped here as I. We are all now lifelong residents of the Cavern of Time." Blite said. "What if I told you that we have a way out? We'll lead you there. In exchange for your help with the mutant Neotox cloud that keeps getting bigger." Eli offered.

Blite was in awe with what he was hearing. "A way out?" Seeing his chance to escape, he rode up to Eli. "This cloud that won't go away, it's called a Neotox Fog." He said. "So, you know what we're talking about." Eli hoped. "It happens if you fire too many Neotox at once. I can stop a Neotox Fog." Blite said. "You stop it, we'll give you your freedom." Eli offered, holding out his hand. Blite shook it, accepting the deal.

Just then, Lucky got pulled back by his tail by Kord. "Just a quick sec there, Mr. Blite." He said as he brought Eli back to the gang. "You sure about this, babe?" Trixie asked. "That man is completely out of his gourd!" Pronto said. "Pronto's right. He is way off the charts mental." Mario added. "Not to mention dangerous. Your dad trapped him in here. You gotta think he's still got a grudge against the Shane." Kord advised. "But he doesn't know that's me and Harley now. And we're not gonna tell him." Eli said. "I know it's a risk, but it's the only way to save Lumino." The gang looked at each other. "What other choice do we have?" Harley asked. Everyone nodded. Pronto actually shook his head for no at first, but changed his mind when he saw the others nodding for yes. "Besides, if it comes down to it, I'm sure we can find a way to handle Blite." Eli assured. "But just to be safe." He rode back up to Blite. "We'll show you the way out. But first, your gonna have to hand over your weapons." He said. "My reputation precedes me. For a way out, I will do-" Blite started to say, pulling out his blaster. The gang readied their blasters out of retaliation. But Blite simply dropped his blaster into Eli's hands. "-anything." The gang sighed in relief and put away their blasters. Blite then tossed Eli his gas mask just as Pronto rode up. "Okay Pronto. Now it's all on you and your ancient molenoid secrets." Eli said. "Well, in that case, we are mere moments from our exit." Pronto said with confidence.

The gang followed Pronto through the cavern. Suddenly, Pronto groaned. "Uh Pronto? Can't help but notice that it's taking a little more than mere moments." Eli said. "Well, that is because someone has stolen the trail." Pronto complained. "Stolen the trail? You mean you lost it?!" Harley asked in a quiet rage. "Pronto, we're running out of time!" Eli said. Suddenly, the Dino Beast's roar echoed through the cavern. "The beast has picked up our scent." Blite said. "Yes, yes. But this will not be a problem, because we can simply follow the trail that I, Pronto, have not lost." Pronto lied. Pronto then brought the gang into a whispering circle. "My molenoid tracking has been tampered with. I dropped bread crumbs to mark our path. And now they're gone." Pronto said, pulling up a few bread crumbs. Eli could not believe what he was hearing. Kord took one of the crumbs. "That was your ancient molenoid secret?! Bread crumbs?!" He asked, tossing the crumb away. "Pronto! I should run you through right now!" Harley growled, grabbing Pronto's scarf and raising a threatening fist.

Just then, one of Shimei's rats hopped over to the bread crumb and took it in his mouth. Pronto noticed this. Harley turned his head and saw this as well. Then the rat, disliking the taste, yakked out the crumb. The liquid from the yak quickly dissolved into the ground. "Well, that explains it." Harley said. Pronto however, was distraught. "Ugh! You eat my trail and then spit it out?! You ungrateful beasts!" He shouted, only to get his trap clamped by Trixie. "Could you say that any louder? Blite may have missed the fact that we lost the trail." She said. "Yes. It is not their fault that they dislike the taste of sourdough." Shimei said, petting the rat as it hopped back into her lap. "Great. Now what are we gonna do?" Dana asked. "Maybe we could follow the Dino yak. If we could see it." Eli said. "Yes. Well unfortunately Pronto can still smell it." Pronto said disgustedly. That perked Eli up. "That's it, Pronto. You're a genius!" He said, rubbing Pronto's head. "Of course, I am. Because I-" Pronto said confusingly. "Can sniff our way out of here." Eli completed. "That is right!" Pronto said. He started to sniff the air, gagging upon catching a whiff of the Dino yak. "There. This way." He said, pointing to the south west.

The gang continued to follow Pronto as he sniffed the ground for anymore scent of Dino yak. Pronto flinched, catching the scent. "We are close." He said, zipping to the right. Blite smiled slyly. Eli and Trixie looked on as the exit came into view. "That must be the exit. We made it!" Trixie said. "I will never doubt Pronto's skills again." Harley said. Vance, Lash and Watts looked at him confusingly. "Don't hold me to that. It never lasts long anyway." He said. "Let's go. We've got maybe a half hour before the ice wall breaks." Eli said. The gang sped off as they exited. Blite took a deep breath of fresh air, happy to finally be free from the Cavern of Time before joining the gang.

The gang rode back into Lumino Cavern. Eli saw that the ice wall was still holding. "The ice wall! It's still up! We've made it in time!" He said. But then, the wall demolished itself, causing the Neotox fog to continue growing. "Looks like time just ran out, bro." Kord said.

* * *

Blite stared at the red fog. "This fog was created by Neotox slugs?" He asked. "_Ghouled_ Neotox slugs. Things have changed since you've been gone." Trixie said. "Blite, what do we do?" Eli asked. "My gear." Blite said. "That wasn't the deal! First take care of the Neotox fog." Eli said. "I can't take care of it without my blaster." Blite said. Eli felt unsure about this. He looked from Blite to the cavern city, then back at the fog. Deciding not to argue, he tossed Blite his blaster. "My helmet too." Blite said as he loaded a slug barrel. "No. The fog first." Eli argued. Blite growled a bit, but smiled and slung a Vinedrill into the fog. The slug burrowed into the ground. Vines started to rise from the ground and grew little flowers, which started to suck in the fog like a funnel. "Whoa." Eli said as the fog started to disappear. Blite rode into the tunnel, slinging another Vinedrill. The gang rode in after. The second Vinedrill performed the same attack, sucking up more of the fog as Blite rode in and slung another Vinedrill. And another, and another as the gang caught up to him. By then, they watched all 4 Vinedrills suck up the entire Neotox fog, causing the petrified miners and the director to change back to normal. They cheered upon being freed. "Who knew Vinedrills could even do that?" Trixie asked in amazement. "Blight did." Eli said. He then rode up to Blite. "Thank you. You saved Lumino." He said, handing Blite back his gas mask.

"Eli! The vines!" Trixie called. Eli looked to see. The vines were starting to mutate. The flowers turned to something more of a flytrap. The vines now looked like mutant briars come alive. The miners and director ran for cover as the vines grew tendrils and started to swat at them. "The ghoul gas must've corrupted them!" Kord said. The tendrils sensed the gang and prepared to attack. "Blight's done his part. Let's do ours." Eli said as he loaded Doc into his blaster. "I love the way you think, bro." Harley said as he loaded Ping. The gang charged in, firing their slugs at the vines. But suddenly, one of the tendrils swatted Eli, knocking him off Lucky. The tendril then wrapped around his leg and pulled him towards a hungry-looking flytrap. Eli tried to shoot, but the other tendrils restrained his arms. "Bro!" Kord shouted. "Eli's in trouble!" Dana shouted. "Once again, it is up to Pronto and the Shane Gang…" Pronto started to say, making the rest of the gang quiver with fear. "…to save-" "Shane." Blite said. "Uh oh." Ponto whimpered, realizing he just gave them away. "Will Shane is no more? Replaced by a couple of boys? His sons perhaps." Blite said, putting on his mask and staring at Eli, who was struggling with the tendrils. "I will have my revenge on you." He loaded a Neotox and prepared to fire, but Trixie knocked him into the rocks by slinging Roller at him. "Keep your hands off my man!" She said, loading another slug.

Kord and Mario rode in to help Eli, who was about to be eaten. Kord slung Bludgeon, knocking the flytrap backwards. Mario slung Ricochet, bashing other tiny flytraps coming at Eli. Kord then slung Throttle, slicing the tendril that held Eli's arm with his blaster. With his arm free, Eli slung Doc into the vines, healing them. The vines dropped Eli as they fully healed and dug back into the ground. Doc hopped back to Eli as soon as he finished. "Good work Doc." Eli said as Kord and Mario rode up to him. "Guess trusting Blite was a mistake, huh?" Kord asked. "Actually, I was kinda hoping this would happen." Eli said, looking at the rest of the gang fighting the other ghouled vines. "You were what?!" Mario asked. "That we'd get chopped to pieces by evil plants?!" Kord asked. "That Blite would give me a reason to put him back in the Cavern of Time even after he kept his word." Eli said as they charged back into the fight. Eli reloaded and slung up Doc. Harley saw this and slung Ping. Both Boon Docs fired their Healray attacks, curing the vines with the combined energies.

As the vines dug back down into the ground, Eli turned and saw Blite preparing to attack. The gang rode towards the mine exit. Blite put on his gas mask and followed. "What's the plan?" Trixie asked. "We're gonna get him to follow us right back to where he belongs! The Cavern of Time!" Eli said. "Sounds like a big risk! I love it!" Mario said. As they continued towards the exit, Blite slung one of his Neotox, spraying it's Toxicloud. The gang rode ahead, but Pronto lingered. "Stay back foul cloud! Pronto will not be silenced by-" Pronto never finished. He was paralyzed by the cloud's toxicity. "Pronto!" Eli called as they skidded to a stop. Then Blite came in and fired another slug, sending the gang to the ground. Blite leapt off his mecha and started to slowly walk towards the gang as they took cover behind their mechas. "Like bugs scurrying for cover, only to be squashed." Blite said. "Oh, no you don't!" Kord yelled, punching Blite into the dirt. Blite quickly recovered and punched Kord back. While Kord and Blite duked it out, Eli carefully took aim at the toxic cloud and slung Spinner, latching onto Pronto and pulling him out by her web.

As Blite delivered an uppercut on Kord, Dana swooped in and kicked Blite in the back, only for him to grab her arm and throw her at Kord. "We need to get his helmet off!" Eli said as he and the others checked on Pronto. Eli slung Rammer. Trixie fired Blizzard. Mario fired his own Armashelt, Crush. Eliza slung Min. All 4 slugs zoomed past Kord and Dana towards Blite. Blite dodged all 4 slugs, only to get kicked by Dana and knocked down by Kord. As they both started to advance, Blite picked up his blaster and slung a Vinedrill, trapping them both in a Tendrella. Eli hopped over the mechas and ran towards Blite. "Eli, what're you doing?!" Harley called. Blite loaded another slug. "Let's go Blite! You want me?! I'm right here!" Eli called. "Breathe my poison." Blite said, firing another Neotox at where Eli was standing. Eli held his breath as he got surrounded by Toxicloud. "Eli!" Kord yelled. "Oh no." Dana said. Eli looked around and saw Blite coming. He grabbed Burpy's barrel from his belt, coughing in the process. He was about to punch Blite, but got paralyzed. Blite chuckled. But Eli had a surprise. Burpy popped out of Eli's fist and hopped to Blite's shoulder. "Sleep. Forever." Blite said. Burpy eyed a button on Blite's helmet, pushed it and the helmet fell off. Blite started to cough and twitch.

Trixie, Harley and Eliza watched with worry from behind the mechas. When the cloud cleared, Blite was paralyzed by the toxicity as well. "Yes!" Kord said. "It worked!" Trixie cried. "Eli, you did it again!" Eliza said. The others cheered as Pronto's paralysis wore off. "-your foul gas!" He said, finishing his earlier sentence. But then, he noticed that nobody was fighting. "Oh. Did we win?" He asked.

* * *

Later, Eli's paralysis started to wear off, and Eli found himself looking at Pronto. He jolted up in shock. "Whoa, whoa, whoa! Slowly dude." Harley said. The Dino rats came up and started licking Eli's face. "What happened?" Eli asked. "I, Pronto, the historically significant, have become the only tracker to ever find his way into and out of the Cavern of Time." Pronto bragged. "I mean what happened to Blite?" Eli asked. "Don't worry, buddy. Let's just say he's doing some time." Kord joked. "And I, Pronto, also managed to sneak off with some of these from Blite's arsenal." Pronto said, holding out some slug barrels holding Neotox slugs. "Nice work, Pronto." Eli said, taking one of the barrels. The Neotox inside chittered. "Welcome to the team, Foggy." Eli said.

Inside, as Blite also recovered from his paralysis, he saw where he was. He twitched in anger and roared into the emptiness of the cavern.

**Well, wasn't that a heck of a chapter. Twist puts the miners of Lumino Cavern in a state of stone paralysis, and the Shane Gang enlist the help of the dangerous Neotox slinger, Blite. What other surprises await the Shane Gang? Leave a review if you want.**

**Slug Arsenal:**

**Eli Shane: Burpy (Infurnus), Joules (Tazerling), Noodle (Flopper), Banger (Armashelt), Bolo (Polero), Rammer (Rammstone), Rocky (Hop Rock), Chiller (Frostcrawler), Burner (Lavalynx), Suds (Bubbaleone), Goober (Jellyish), Sparky (Grenuke), Doc (Boon Doc), Larry (Lariat), Gust (Tormato), Buzzsaw (Thresher), Digger (Crystalyd), Spinner (Arachnet), Mucky (Dirt Urchin), Tangles (Vinedrill), Spooker (Frightgeist), Charger (Fandango), Stunts (Speedstinger), Glimmer (Phosphoro), Mo (Enigmo), Dazer (Hypnogriff), Urchin (Sand Angler), Dozer (Slyren), Jinxer (Hexlet), Torch (Forgesmeltor), Yang (Negashade), Beeker (AquaBeek), Mimkey (Mimikreas), Jaws (MakoBreaker), Gasser (Flatulorhinkus), Crystal (Geoshard), Foggy (Neotox)**

**Mecha Beast: Lucky (Wolf)**

**Harley Shane: Matchstick (Flaringo), Squirm (Flopper), Frostbite (Frostcrawler), Webs (Arachnet), Gels (Jellyish), Zipper (Hoverbug), Ivy (Vinedrill), Masher (Rammstone), Frights (Frightgeist), Shredder (Thresher), Smelly (Flatulorhinkus), Claws (Armashelt), Splatz (Lariat), Twister (Tormato), Lucky (Hexlet), Sizzle (Grenuke), Quill (Dirt Urchin), Ping (White Boon Doc), Bubbles (Bubbaleone), Polo (Polero)**

**Mecha Beast: Delta (Velociraptor)**

**Trixie Sting: Bluster (Tormato), Blizzard (Frostcrawler), Spider (Arachnet), Twirl (Polero), Balloon (Bubbaleone), Haunter (Frightgiest), Pounder (Rammstone), Slicer (Thresher), Rocks (Hop Rock), Jelly (Jellyish), Blossom (Vinedrill), Spotty (Flopper), Dunes (Sand Angler), Zaps (Tazerling), Roller (Armashelt)**

**Mecha Beast: Boomer (Tiger)**

**Kord Zane: Bludgeon (Rammstone), Sploder (Hop Rock), Jolt (Tazerling), Trip (Polero), Flycatcher (Arachnet), Floatie (Bubbaleone), Iceberg (Frostcrawler), Scorch (Flaringo), Jetstream (AquaBeek), Spitz (Lariat), Chuckles (Gazzer), Floppy (Flopper), Pincer (Armashelt), Glint (Phosphoro), Throttle (Thresher)**

**Mecha Beast: Wyatt (Boar)**

**Pronto Geronimo: Stinky (Flatulorhinkus), Slimey (Jellyish), Soapy (Bubbaleone), Bruiser (Rammstone), Flame (Flaringo), Loogie (Lariat), Windy (Tormato), Squeaky (Flopper), Blocky (Hop Rock), Freezie (Frostcrawler), Doozy (Slyren)**

**Mecha Beast: Fernando (Donkey)**

**Vance Volt: Blast (Hop Rock), Bloom (Vinedrill), Crust (Lavalynx), Legs (Arachnet), Swimy (AquaBeek), Hardcase (Armashelt), Squish (Jellyish), Blow (Tormato), Cheep (Flopper), Punch (Rammstone)**

**Mecha Beast: Champ (Horse)**

**Mario Bravado: Ricochet (Speedstinger), Slide (Frostcrawler), Crawler (Arachnet), Echo (AquaBeek), Mess (Jellyish), Breeze (Tormato), Kate (Flopper), Porky (Dirt Urchin), Dunk (Rammstone), Crush (Armashelt)**

**Mecha Beast: (Horse)**

**Lash: Zing (Tazerling), Speedy (Speedstinger), Hopper (Hop Rock), Bubba (Bubbaleone), Stinx (Flatulorhinkus), String (Polero), Goat (Rammstone), Sleepy (Slyren), Webber (Arachnet), Ice (Frostcrawler), Spark (Flaringo), Winger (Tormato), Witch (Hexlet), Phlegm (Lariat), Peep (Flopper), Melt (Lavalynx), Clash (Armashelt)**

**Mecha Beast: Jack (Jackal)**

**Shimei: Mong (Hop Rock), Jin (Rammstone), Zeng (Vinedrill)**

**Mecha Beast: (Horse)**

**Eliza Shane: Ellie (Flaringo), Min (Jellyish), Tink (Phosphoro), Pimpy (Bubbaleone)**

**Mecha Beast: (White Stag)**

**Watts: Scourge (MakoBreaker), Polly (Hoverbug)**

**Mecha Beast: (Crawfish)**

**Dana Por: Webby (Arachnet)**

**Mecha Beast: (Tiger)**

**Pets: Wormy (Crystal Worm), Rath (Ice Ogre), (Lava Bats), Kibble & Nipper (Dino Rats)**


End file.
